The Dreamers
by The Minsk
Summary: Finn and Rachel learn the hard way that not all dreams come true. But there's always enough time for a second chance.
1. The Lima Loser

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: **NEW STORY** Me Voila! Are you guys ready for another Minsky fic? This one has the potential for greatness! I hope you enjoy it! This story takes place in the future with flashbacks to the past.

**The Dreamers****  
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****Chapter One: The Lima Loser**

It was a beautiful day. The kind of day you remember for it's perfection; the kind of day you wished every day on Earth should be like. Clear, warm, bright. The sun shone down onto them like they were the only two people in the world, as they laid in the grass and wasted away another lazy summer afternoon.

Their hands were entwined in a loose grasp as their bodies stretched across a simple checkered cloth, protecting their clothes from the dirt and grass and creating a serene atmosphere between the two teens. They were relaxed. They were calm.

They were happier than they'd ever been.

He sat up and removed his shirt, exposing his wide, yet, pale, chest to the hot summer sun. As long as he was outside he might as well get a tan. He laid down onto his back and his tiny brunette companion sat up with her hands on her hips and a furrow on her brow.

"Finn Hudson, just what do you think you're doing?"

He had to shield his eyes from the blinding sun, but he looked up at Rachel Berry, his friend, the girl he _loved_, and shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I'm kind of pale. Maybe I can get a tan."

"Not without proper protection!" She reached into her large, ornate summer tote and pulled out a sunscreen with SPF 75. "It is just plain irresponsible to expose your sensitive skin to harmful Ultraviolet rays! You could get melanoma!"

He gave her the look- the look that meant she was using words bigger than he could understand and he needed a translation. She smiled softly and rephrased. "Trying to get a tan without using sunscreen could result in skin cancer."

"Oh!" His mouth turned up in a crooked half smile while he sat up from the blanket. He took the sunscreen from her and rubbed the cream liberally onto his arms and chest. "Could you get my back, Rachel?" He turned around and faced away from her, not before catching a rosy blush that spread across her face beautifully, highlighting her shy smile and her hooded eyes.

"Sure." He could hear her pour some of the goopy cream onto her hands and suddenly, he felt small, cool, hands rubbing his shoulders and neck.

Uh-oh. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

Her hands massaged the creme into his skin in wide, relaxing circles and he felt his eyes closing of their own accord. Her simple touches were making him feel almost drunk; he was lightheaded and his breathing was becoming more and more shallow by the minute. He couldn't even stifle a low moan when she rubbed creme into the one spot where Azemio had rammed him on the 30 yard line at Football camp last week. He was pretty sure she had covered every inch of his back in sunscreen, but her small hands kept on running over his muscles, kneading them softly and making his eyes roll back into his head in pleasure.

"Finn?" Her voice was low as he hummed a small response. He was on cloud nine at the moment and didn't want to come down. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Rach. Anything." Her hands fell from his back and he almost whimpered from the loss of contact. He turned around to face her and she saw her wiping the sunscreen off on the small blanket.

"Are we dating?" She said the "d" word with hesitance and he knew exactly why. This summer hadn't been easiest for Rachel after what had happened with Jesse, and he had promised her that she could take all the time she needed to get over him.

As long as he got to hang out with her all the time. As friends of course. Even though he loved her and she knew about it. But their little arrangement turned out to be pretty perfect. Sure, they weren't making out with each other or anything, but he'd never been happier to just walk in the park or go to a fair or watch a movie. As long as it was with her.

He shrugged his shoulders and tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "I don't know, Rach. I mean, you know how I feel about you." He let that hang in the air. It had been over a month since his confession of love but they rarely brought it up. They kind of treated it like it was a simple fact of life, and Finn was waiting for her to be able to move on from that fucktard St. Jackass. "Do you want to start dating?"

"Yes." He wasn't expecting her swift reply, but before he could rejoice in the fact that Rachel was finally over Jesse, she continued. "But I'm worried."

"About what?"

She looked away from him, a frown marring her perfect face. "The future."

"Pfft." He made a rude noise and she turned to him with an eyebrow raised in disbelief. He back-tracked. "What about the future? We're only 16."

"Don't you ever think of it?" A certain emotion had entered her voice that he couldn't place. Anxiety? Fear? "What's going to happen after high school? What's going to happen to _us_ after high school?" He didn't like the way she'd said "us." Too foreboding.

"I guess so. Sometimes." He was lying. He _never_ thought about the future; not in detail, like Rachel obviously had. "Why are you so worried about this, Rachel?"

"What is your dream, Finn? What do you think about before you go to sleep at night?"

"You." He said it on reflex, but he knew it was the truth. Yeah, maybe he did think about her and jerk-off before bed, but he was a teenage boy. He was allowed. She blushed scarlet and he twisted around his words to truly answer her question. "I think about being with you, Rachel. The only dream I've ever truly had was to get out of Lima. And I feel it in my bones; we're gonna get out of here, Rach." He reached for her hands and grasped them tightly. "You're going to be a star, and I don't care what I have to do, as long as we're together. We're gonna make our dreams come true."

A brilliant smile stretched across her face and he felt her tiny hands squeeze his. "Do you promise?"

"I promise, Rach. As long as we're together, nothing will hold us back." With this, the young starlet leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss that made it feel like he was tanning on the surface of the sun instead of the town park. The amorous couple laid back down on the sheet, this time wrapped in each others arms, and watched the day pass in front of them in the blissful serenity of summer.

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A sharp, shrill, blaring alarm rang throughout the tiny apartment, filling the cluttered space with the signal for the start of the new day. A loud groan came from the small futon as Finn pulled back the covers and slammed his hand down onto the offending alarm. He cursed bitterly when he saw the time. All he wanted to do was sleep.

Running a tired hand over his stubbled face, he dragged himself out of bed, in a terrible mood. Of course he'd had to have that dream last night. It automatically put him on edge, and he knew today was going to be just as crappy as the last.

Yawning widely and trying to stretch out the muscles in his sore back, he walked to his bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. He almost wanted to run and hide from his reflection. It was plain scary. His eyes had dark circles under them and they were puffy and tired. He hadn't shaved in days? Weeks? He couldn't remember as he scratched the thick wiry hairs on his face. Should he shave today? Meh.

Instead he splashed some water on his face and wiped it off, not caring about his appearance. Why the hell should he? He had no one to impress. The thought made him even more bitter than before, when he'd woken up. He really wished he would stop having those dreams. It felt like his mind was punishing him for some reason. There was no reason in the world why he was still dreaming of Rachel Berry after all this time.

It didn't make sense to dream about a girl you hadn't seen for ten years.

Even if she'd been the love of his life.

He ran a hand over his hair while he was brushing his teeth and he almost dropped the toothbrush out of his mouth in shock. He turned his face to the side and his eyes threatened to bulge out of his skull at what he saw.

Gray hairs. Finn Hudson had a few stray gray hairs growing in on his hairline. Turning his face around to the other side, he stared in horror as he saw even more on the left side of his face then his right.

The toothbrush dropped out of his mouth and fell into the sink with a soft thud. Toothpaste was dripping out of the corners of his mouth, but he made no move to spit it out.

He was miserable. He was single, he was 30, he was going gray, he had a crap job, and he still lived in the same shitty town he had grown up in his entire life.

Finn Hudson was a Lima Loser.

And he _hated himself_ for it.

What had happened to him? The young boy who was filled with anbitions and goals? The boy who knew what he wanted and vowed to never give up. The boy who'd made promises that he'd intended to keep. What had happened?

Rachel Berry was what happened.

But he wouldn't think about her now. It was bad enough he'd had that dream of her again. The same dream that had been haunting him for a decade. The dream that had been haunting him ever since. . .

Never-mind. It was no use in thinking about his terrible past, he had to get to work.

He pulled on his blue overalls and grabbed his tool-bag before heading out of the door and driving his busted car across town to work. He pulled out his master key as he opened up the shop.

Burt Hummel's Auto and Tire garage was where Finn had been working since he was sixteen years old. It had started out as a way for him to make money in the summertime. Then it had become his part-time job before college.

Now it was his career. He was a full time grease monkey and full-blown Lima Loser. It was everything he had never wanted for himself, all wrapped into one shitty life he couldn't stand.

He went around the garage, turning on the lights and tools and machines. He walked over to the far end of the shop, where a large mass was covered in a thick tarp. He ripped the fabric off and stared at his baby, his project; the one thing that made his life just a little less crappy.

A 1969 Pontiac Firebird. Red. Old as hell. But to him it was gorgeous. It had taken him two years of work to get to this point and it was almost done. When he'd bought the car it was total crap; everything had to be replaced, and it needed a new paint job and an engine. So he worked and saved and pinched every penny he could so he could rebuild that car. It was the last thing in his life that made him happy, and he spent another few minutes staring at his baby, hoping he would be able to afford the final paint job by next week. The car was about 90 percent done, and when it was fixed up to perfection, he was throwing everything he owned into it and running the hell away from Lima.

For good this time.

He placed the tarp back over his baby and continued opening the shop. He went into the office and started to brew a pot of coffee for Burt. He was always the first person in the shop, so he could be the first person to leave in the day. Normally he hid in the office doing paperwork while Burt talked to the customers, then he would work on a few projects. He was always getting recognized in this damn small town, another reason for the beard and the scruffy appearance. He would rather people think he was some random bum than have people know that he was the Golden Boy who had fallen from grace. It was embarrassing.

But it seemed that fate wasn't on his side, because before Burt could even show up, he had a customer in the shop, looking around for someone to help him. He begrudgingly walked to the front of the shop and almost had a heart attack at what he saw.

Will Schuester, his old Spanish teacher, glee advisor and mentor, was standing in the waiting room, staring at Finn like he'd seen a ghost.

Finn wanted to crawl in a hole and die, right then and there.

"Mr. Schue?" It was reflex, really. Twelve years had gone by since he had graduated from high school, and he still called him by his last name. Old habits die hard.

The older man squinted at Finn, his face pinched in confusion. After a tense minute where Finn felt like an awkward moron, The crinkle in his brow smoothed out and a look of recognition crossed his features. "Finn? Finn Hudson? Is that really you?"

Finn shrugged his shoulders, hating how pathetic he felt at the moment. This was exactly the reason why he hid in the back and let his step-father deal with the customers. "In the flesh." He said bitterly.

Will looked at him appraisingly and walked up to him with his arms wide open. Finn was shocked when he found himself in a crushing hug with Mr. Schue. Or Will. He should definitely be calling him Will. They weren't in high school anymore. He pat the older man on the back, and didn't feel as awkward anymore.

"What are you doing here? How have you been?" Will pulled back from him and bombarded Finn with questions he really didn't want to answer. If he was being truthful, he would have said, "I hate my life and I want to run the fuck away."

But instead, he said, "Doing fine, I guess. I work here with my step-dad. You remember, Kurt Hummel's father?"

"Yes! Your parents got married didn't they?"

"Yup, about five years ago."

"That's fantastic! And Kurt?"

Finn let out a small chuckle. His step-brother was living the life he had dreamed for himself once. "Kurt is great, actually. He lives with his husband in California where they run a party-planning business. He's really happy. I see him about twice a year." The last time he saw Kurt was the winter holidays. "He was planning on coming back to Lima during the summer, maybe we could all get together and do lunch." Hey, it was something to look forward to. . .

But a frown appeared on Will's face and he shook his head. "That's kind of why I'm here. I need my car tuned up because me and Emma are moving out of the district." Finn blanched. Mr. Schuester was moving away? Didn't he still coach the glee club at McKinley?

"You're moving?"

"Yeah, the district forced us into an early retirement so they could hire newer teachers who would work for scraps. Since we're both still kicking, we decided to move into another part of the state, to see if they had any teaching positions there."

Finn kind of felt deflated. Seeing Will had reminded him of all the fun he'd experienced in his youth, and he thought he could maybe reconnect with his old mentor. Heck, the only guy he still saw around town was Puck, and they already went drinking together every Friday night. He needed more friends.

But he was happy for Will. At least he would be able to move on.

"That's great. Good luck." He didn't sound as enthusiastic as he wanted to and Will gave him a suspicious look.

"What about you, Finn? How are you these days? Do you still talk to Rachel?" Just the simple mention of her name was enough to make Finn sick to his stomach. But it wasn't Schue's fault; they had still been dating after graduation. Will didn't know any better.

"No. I don't talk to Rachel anymore."

Will ignored his melancholy tone and started to ramble on about his old student. "You know, I've been turning on the Tony's every year since she graduated and I always expect to see her and I never do! I wonder what she's doing with herself?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully and turned back around to Finn. "Anyway, about you, Finn."

"What about me?"

Will looked around the Auto Garage and stared at Finn until he felt uncomfortable. "Are you happy?"

What a stupid fucking question! No, he wasn't happy! He was the farthest thing from happy. He was so miserable he couldn't remember what happy felt like. Normaly he sugar coated it. Slapped on a fake smile and pretended everything was perfect. But staring into the eyes of the first man in his life to ever get him to open up to _anything_, he let the truth pour shamelessly from his lips.

"No. No, Mr. Schue. I'm not happy." He slipped again and called him by his last name but the man didn't seem to care. "I'm miserable." He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed deeply. "I'm stuck in this shit town with this shit job and I just never thought it would be this way." Will looked sympathetic to his former student's plight. "I used to have dreams! I used to want to do things with my life, and then . . ." He let the sentence hang in the air. Then _Rachel_ happened. Then his dreams shattered into a million pieces. ". . .I lost hope."

He was drowning in a sea of bitterness when Will clapped a strong hand onto his shoulders and brought his attention back to the present. "Listen, Finn. I know more than anyone what it's like to have dreams that never came true. But you can't give up hope. You still have time. You can't give up." He chuckled bitterly to himself and Finn stood there a bit confused. "You're too much like me, Finn. I once thought life was like a sea of torture you had to wade through your entire life. And then I was able to coach glee club, and it really changed the way I looked at the world again. I know you can do it too. Figure out what makes you happier than anything else in the world and go do it. It's never too late."

He didn't know what to say. No one had been there to encourage Finn these past ten years. Sure his Mom thought he was unhappy but did nothing to help encourage him to break the cycle. To hear the honest and truthful words coming from the one man he'd admired more than anyone else besides his step-father was the wake-up call he'd needed.

But before he could open his mouth to respond, Burt had entered the shop and walked over to where Will and Finn were standing. Will took one look at Burt and walked up to him with his hands out, re-introducing himself to him.

"Ah, yeah. I remember you. Nice to see you again, Will. Finn, go brew some coffee while I talk things over with Will. Then I need you to check the fluids on the '15 Civic that's getting picked up this morning." Finn sighed to himself, preparing himself for the tedium of the day. But Will made eye contact with him once more, and waved goodbye to Finn.

"It was great to see you, Finn. Remember what I said."

"I will, thanks. And good luck with the move." He walked away from his step-father and went straight for the back, Will's words echoing in his head. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't too late. He went into the bathroom in the back of the shop and looked at himself in the mirror for the second time that morning.

He made a decision. It was time for him to pick himself off of the floor and move on. He might have been 30, and sporting gray hairs already, but he was still young! He still had his whole life ahead of him, and he needed to take Mr. Schue's advice and find something he loved. He loved his car, but he didn't love working in town. What else did he love?

It hit him like a bolt of lightning. Like an epiphany. Ambition poured through him when he realized exactly what he wanted to do with himself. His new goal. His new dream.

But first, he needed to shave.

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Salut mes amis!

Rachel's chapter is next! What is it that tore these two apart for so long?

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	2. The Fallen Star

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: Now, I know some people are automatically going to have problems with this story because of what I have planned. **TAKE NOTE NOW: I do not welcome flames or any kind of negative feedback. **Either give me constructive crit, or don't even bother. I get enough reviews already, I don't need negative ones. Just sit back and enjoy what I have planned. You know they're gonna get their happy ending anyway. ;)

**The Dreamers****  
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****Chapter Two: The Fallen Star**

"_Nobody gonna break my stride, nobody gonna slow me down! Oh no! I've got to keep on moving!_" The small iPod alarm blasted the peppy music around the brightly lit pastel-colored bedroom, and a small hand crept out from under the sheets to shut it off. Instead of waking with the vigor she normally possessed, Rachel flipped herself back over, and uncharacteristically stayed in bed. She was surprised to notice that she had tears in her eyes, and when she remembered why she was crying, they returned in full force.

_Stop crying, Rachel. Just stop crying! She doesn't deserve your tears! You are better than her!_ No matter how many times she told herself this, she still laid tangled in her mass of sheets, pressing her pillow to her face and bawling her eyes out. Maybe it had been too soon to move her therapist out of the spare bedroom.

She'd had that dream again. The one where she looked into the mirror and saw a reflection of Shelby looking back at her. Her birth mother. Ever since she met that woman, she'd been having dreams that made her wake up in hysterics.

And it wasn't because she hadn't wanted to be a part of Rachel's life. She didn't care that she wanted her "baby" back. Rachel didn't need another parent; she loved her fathers more than anything else in the world. No, whenever she thought of Shelby, all she could think of was that she was almost like a cautionary tale for Rachel. Wasn't it an old adage that all daughters became like their mothers? Ever since the day she met Shelby and found out about her failures in show business, that was all she could think of as well.

She was afraid she was going to end up just like her.

A failure. A fallen star.

She pressed her hands into her eyes to wipe away the residual tears from her dream. She had heard her mother sing before, and couldn't fathom how she hadn't been able to make it in New York. If Shelby couldn't make it, what made her think she would be able to? What made her so different and special?

Ever since their last meeting, she'd been thinking about Shelby a lot. Her biggest dream had always been to be a star, but now she was just dreaming of not ending up like Shelby: Miserable, alone, desperate for love.

It was Rachel's worst nightmare, and her new greatest fear.

"Rachel? Are you awake darling? Finn is here!" Her father knocked softly on the door and Rachel rushed out of bed and tried to make it look like she hadn't been crying. Finn wasn't really aware of all the Mama-Drama she'd been dealing with on her own, and she didn't want him to get involved. Besides, she was supposed to have been ready a half an hour ago, they had a barbecue to attend this afternoon.

But it was basically moot when Finn entered her room, expecting her to be dressed and ready. He found her in a crumpled mess on her bed, trying to wipe away her tears in vain. He took one look at her and started to quietly freak out.

"Rach? Is everything okay? What happened?" He sat next to her on the bed and she tried to turn away from him, but he held her by the shoulders and made her face him.

"Nothing. I'm fine." She wanted to turn away and hide her face from him, but he had her locked in his severe stare.

"You're lying. What is it?" He looked a bit uncomfortable and his voice dropped to a whisper. "Is it, you know, your _girl time_?" Her mouth dropped open in incredulity. Did he just ask if she was _on the rag_?

"NO!" She said it with mild offense.

He looked sheepish and tried to explain. "It's just that my mom would sometimes cry and say nothing was wrong and then I would get yelled at for practically _breathing_ wrong, and I wanted to know if it was an actual problem I could fix or a girl problem. . ." She cut him of with a soft kiss, which she was learning was the quickest way to cut him off during a ramble.

"No Finn. It's not a girl problem, but I don't know if you could fix it."

A determined look entered his eyes and he nodded firmly. "Try me."

So she took a deep breath, and explained to him everything that had happened between her and Shelby. Shelby Corcoran's entire back story and why she'd given up Rachel for adoption in the first place. Her attempts and failures at a career in show-business. Her plot to reconnect with Rachel only to push her away. And Rachel's own new-found fears that she will one day end up like her birth mother. Finn sat there and absorbed every single detail, his brow creasing deeper and deeper with every extra bit of information. By the time she was done with her therapeutic mama-rant, she was crying again, the fear and desperation settling in her heart.

"I just don't know what makes me think I'm so different from her. Why should I expect to succeed if she couldn't?" Looking into Finn's eyes, she was shocked to see a small trace of anger in his stare. She realized then that he was squeezing her hands in a death grip. It didn't hurt, but he wasn't letting go of her anytime soon. "What is it?"

"Rachel," The shock in his voice penetrating the misery she felt, "How could you even say that? How could you even think..." He didn't even finish the sentence, he shook his head as if he couldn't even believe what he was hearing. When he made eye contact with her again, the severity in his gaze and tone pierced through the fear and doubt in her heart like a beacon of light in the night. "Do you realize how special you are? I have _never_ met anyone like you, Rachel. Your ambition, your drive, is what sets you apart from all these other losers in this town. And you know why Shelby failed? It wasn't because she wasn't good, or talented, or dedicated. It was because she didn't have support. She didn't have someone to lift her spirits after a bad audition, or reassure and encourage her that she was made for that kind of life. She didn't have anyone to love her."

"And I will?"

It was his turn to look offended. "Of course you will. I'll be there with you. All the way. It's my dream too, you know." He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. He was basically promising to move to New York with her after high school and it came off as simple as a drive across town. He even shrugged his shoulders and lifted his lips up in her favorite crooked smile, for reassurance.

Her normal fiery spark ignited into a burning flame of ambition with Finn's heartfelt words. They were going to be a team. From that moment on, their dreams were intertwined and connected with each others. He was going to get out of Lima, she was going to become a star, and they were gonna do it together. "Together." She repeated it for emphasis as his smile shone brighter than the sun.

"Yup, just you and me against the world, Rach. I wouldn't want it any other way."

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A light tremor of turbulence shook the large commercial airplane as Rachel was roused out of her light nap and back into the Economy section of the Jet Blue flight that was bringing her to Ohio.

Rachel Berry was heading home for the first time in ten years.

She reached for the airplane sized bottle of white wine that she had requested with dinner and frowned when she realized that it was empty. She really wished she had something that would help her fall back into the blissful oblivion of sleep. But if she kept having dreams like the one she'd just had, maybe it would just be better to stay sober. It was bad enough she was living that particular nightmare, she didn't want to be reminded of the simpler days of her youth.

Especially when the dream involved the man who had ruined her life.

She closed her eyes, shutting out the harsh artificial light of the plane. How long had it been since she quit acting? She realized with a bitter sigh that it had been four years since the day she decided to quit. The day all of her ambitions and dreams flew out of the window, along with her pride and self-respect.

It had been a long and bitter struggle, but at least she'd tried. Seven years of auditions and classes and seminars. Of praying and practicing and perfecting. Of solitude and sacrifice.

Oh, the things she'd sacrificed.

But it didn't matter. She was 29 years old, almost 30, and ready to start a new chapter in her life.

Even if it was in her old hometown.

She had tried everything to make it in the business and failed. This was her last attempt to salvage a decent life for herself now that she'd screwed up her one and only dream.

Once, she had feared that she would become like her mother, Shelby. Now it seemed like it had already happened without her even knowing it.

What had happened to her? Her spark, her energy for life? Somewhere along the way it had died out, leaving Rachel as this shell of herself she couldn't recognize. She needed purpose again. It felt like the past decade had been one trauma after the other and she just wanted to move on.

She thought a lot about Shelby these days. What Shelby had done with herself after she'd failed. She had become a teacher, just like Mr. Schuester had after he'd never made it in the business. Those who couldn't do, taught. Right?

So she'd spent the past four years getting her teaching degree. Music had and always will be her passion, and if she couldn't share her talent with the world, then she would encourage and help develop the talents of the next generations of students. She was a professional, after all, and she was excited to start spreading her knowledge to the youth of Lima, Ohio. She already had an interview at the high school on Monday, and she had her resume and portfolio ready to impress.

But there was something else that was making this trip a nerve-wracking experience for Rachel.

She was going to eventually run into Finn.

She knew he still lived in town; she talked to her fathers two times a week and they had been giving her the scoop on the town gossip for weeks before she moved back. How a town as small as Lima was able to accrue that much gossip was beyond her comprehension, but they filled her in on all the shotgun weddings and divorces and general small-town drama that she had missed. The one piece of information that she hadn't expected, was that they had seen Finn in town a few weeks ago, accompanying his mother to a town meeting. They didn't know what he was doing with himself, but he was still there.

She didn't know whether it made her ecstatic or terrified.

He hadn't been able to get out. His one dream, his one goal was to escape the tedium and banality of small-town life, and he was still there. Was he married? Did he have a good job?

Was it all because of that last fight they'd had, almost a whole decade ago?

It had to have been the fight. Their last argument, the one that had basically sealed both of their fates, still haunted her nightmares and brought her back to when she was 19 and naive. Bossy and arrogant. Juvenile and petty.

Not anymore. Rachel Berry was 29 now, and she was an adult. She was ready to start anew, and one of her newest goals for herself was to move on from what had happened with Finn. She still hadn't forgiven him for what had happened ten years ago, and she was sure he blamed her for things as well. That thought filled her with more dread than anything else, but she had to be the adult and deal with reality. Lima might be a small town, but it was her small town, and she wasn't going to let Finn Hudson ruin another one of her goals and dreams.

She had to grow up.

The plane landed about a half an hour later, and she started crying at the sight of her two fathers, waiting for her with open arms. They had done so much for her during her time in New York, and they knew how much she had suffered all alone in the big city for all those years. Now they were allowing her to move back into her old bedroom until she got back on her feet. She felt more than a little pathetic to be moving back in with her parents at the age of 29, but she had no other choice. It was the summer already, and even if she got a teaching job for September she wouldn't be able to pay rent for a few months anyway. It was something she would just have to deal with.

"So baby girl, what do you want to do?" Her dad wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned her head into him, needing the support.

"I don't know, Dad. I just want to go home and unpack, you know? Get used to the town again."

"Do you want to drive? You must be rusty after all those years on the subway!"

She shook her head and smiled sadly. "I'll brush up again some other time. I'm tired."

The family of three headed out to the car and Rachel sat behind the driver's seat, staring out the window and absorbing her surroundings as the car made it's way back into Lima. Nostalgia filled her until she was almost in tears from the cherished memories of her youth that echoed in her brain.

As much as she'd loved New York, there was truly no place like home.

Driving down main street, she looked at the familiar shops and realized how little things had changed. The movie theater still only played three movies at a time, she recognized Patches sitting outside of the library, and was that Sandy Reyerson running kids over in his mobility scooter. . .?

The car stopped at a red light and Rachel stared at the building outside of her window. Burt Hummel's Auto and Tire garage. She had spent countless days in that shop, sitting around with Kurt while Burt and Finn fixed cars. How many times had they locked themselves away in the cars to make out? How many times had they unlocked the shop so they could have a quickie while their houses were full of people?

She had _many_ fond memories of that shop.

She snapped out of her reverie of memories when she noticed someone sliding out from underneath the cherry-red Firebird that was parked out in front of the shop. She sighed to herself. Finn had talked about owning a Firebird since the day he'd started working at the shop for extra money. It had been the car of his dreams, he'd once said. She wondered idly if everything she came across in this town would remind her of Finn in one way or another. It was highly likely. She watched as the man stood up and wiped his hands on his overalls before turning around and making eye contact with her.

She stopped breathing altogether when she realized that the person she was looking at was Finn Hudson.

She was so shocked she couldn't even force herself to look away from him. His eyes were the same chestnut color, rich and deep and full of emotion she couldn't decipher from her position in the car. He looked. . .amazing. She had forgotten how broad and tall he truly was. He was covered in grease and dirt, but she had been used to that. She used to call him her grease monkey, even though now he looked like a grease gorilla. They were locked in each other's stare, and she could tell from the way his eyes almost bulged out of his head that he was more than a little shocked to see her.

But they didn't move. She sat like a statue, staring at him while he stared right back. Neither person made a move to look away, but neither of them raised a hand in greeting either. The tension between them was palpable. She wondered if her fathers could feel it from the front seat, but they seemed oblivious as they stayed locked in the other's gaze.

He looked as if he was about to take a step towards her father's car, when the light turned green and the car drove off down main street. Maneuvering herself around, she stared out of the back of the car window and saw that Finn was still standing in the same spot, looking just as shocked as ever. Refusing to turn away, she continued to stare until his form became smaller and smaller in the distance until it disappeared on the horizon. She turned back around and plopped onto her seat, feeling the adrenaline pump in her veins at their mini-reunion.

Living in Lima again was not going to be easy.

But Rachel Berry loved a challenge.

She smiled to herself feeling more ambitious than she'd felt in years.

Maybe moving back to Lima was exactly what she'd needed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

So both Finn and Rachel blame the other for their failures! What exactly happened between them?

Until next time. . . *sings* Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	3. The New Direction

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: MY BRAIN WILL NOT STOP BOMBARDING ME WITH IDEAS FOR THIS FIC! I haven't written this much since February, I am on a freaking roll!

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Three: The New Direction**

His keys jangled softly in the silence of the night as he tried to enter the empty garage stealthily. Typing in the numbers for the alarm, he breathed out a sigh of relief as the light blinked green instead of red, and beckoned to his companion to enter the secured area.

"C'mon, Rachel. Everything is fine." His whisper carried far and echoed around the silent garage. The brunette entered the room quietly, slowly, the hesitation rolling off of her in waves. Her eyes, wide with fear, scanned the area around them, making sure they were, in fact, alone.

"Are you sure about this, Finn? I don't want you to get in trouble with Burt." He had to stifle a small laugh at how tense she seemed. Reaching out for her hand, he enveloped his bear paw around her wrist and pulled her into the safety of his arms.

"No one will know, Rach. You have to admit, this is really the only place we can be alone." It was the truth and Finn hated it. He was still living in the basement with Kurt, so there was no way he was ever able to bring her back to his place and be alone. And Rachel's dads watched over them like prison guards, not even letting them sit next to each other on the same couch when they watched reruns.

It had been his genius idea to exploit the garage for what it truly was; a safe, secure place where they could make out and have some real alone time. Burt didn't come here after hours, and he was the only other worker besides Burt who knew the alarm code. It was the perfect getaway.

"I know, I'm just worried." He bent his head down to place a kiss on the top of her head, trying to ease the tension out of her from the simple gesture. He smiled into her hair when he felt his girlfriend relax into his embrace.

"Follow me, I know exactly where we can go to get comfortable." Leading her by the hand, he maneuvered them around the cars and parts that were scattered around the garage until they reached a locked box full of keys. He whipped out his key-chain again and opened the box, taking out a set of keys on a flashy key-ring.

"Finn Hudson, not only are we breaking and entering and trespassing, but we're also going to be committing grand theft auto as well? I'm your partner in crime! This is aiding and abetting a felony offense!" Her voice was panicked as she voiced her opinions, citing the need to call her ACLU lawyer.

"Rachel, relax. No one is stealing anything. This car just has a roomy back-seat. I swear. Trust me." Using their cell phones as flashlights in the darkness of the garage, they walked until they reached a huge Chrysler mini-van, a total soccer mom's car. Finn opened up the car and the middle panel of seats was folded into the floor, leaving the back row of seats up, and a large, roomy area in the middle of the van. Rachel poked her head into the car and it seemed like her previous hesitance had morphed into a sort of curious rebellion.

"Well, I guess we're not really doing anything _wrong_, per se." She hopped into the mini van and Finn watched as she sat on the floor and leaned against the backseat, stretching her legs out in front of her and making herself comfortable. "As long as we don't get caught, right?"

"Right." The amusement rang in his voice and he didn't even bother trying to hide it. He climbed into the mini-van after her, adjusting his ginormous body inside the roomy back seat. Did Rachel have enough room? Was he squishing her? She wasn't complaining, so he settled back and let his head drop back onto the seat in contentment as Rachel leaned into his side.

This was heavenly. When was the last time he was truly alone with Rachel like this? Where no one could bother them or interrupt them? They were truly alone, and the prospect left him literally tingling in anticipation. He felt electric, invincible. He knew he was doing something very wrong, illegal even, but it was all worth it to be with Rachel like this. They couldn't risk turning on any lights, lest they get caught, but Finn popped on one of the interior lights of the car, and he could see Rachel's peaceful, smiling face in the dim lighting of the van.

"This is nice." She practically hummed next to him, and he nodded as he wrapped an arm around her, bringing her body as close to him as possible. One of her hands crept up his chest and rested on his face, turning it around as she leaned up and met his lips in a kiss that melted all coherent thoughts out of his brain. How was she able to do that? She was such a tiny little thing but she managed to seize control over him like nothing else could. The feeling of invincibility only increased the more they made out in the empty garage. Him and Rachel against the world. Being reckless and young and in love. Well, she still hadn't said it yet, but he was in love, so it still counted.

He was buzzing with energy and he had never felt more electric, like pure energy was flowing through his veins. She was like a drug to him, every time he got a taste all he wanted was more. Simple kisses weren't enough for him anymore; he slipped his tongue into her mouth slowly, spreading her lips apart with his tongue and tasting the sweetness of her mouth. When she shyly slipped her tongue out and met his as well, he felt like he was high. He was lightheaded and dizzy, and it seemed like her breathy moans and sighs only increased the euphoric feeling that encompassed him.

When she pulled away from him so they could refills their lungs with the air they so desperately needed, their eyes were locked together. She always made him feel so intense; in more ways than one. He couldn't recognize the look in her eyes, and normally he was an expert on Rachel Berry's facial expressions. But this one was different. This was a look he hadn't seen on her face in a long time. . .

"I love you." The simple statement was loud and clear in the silent car, and Finn blinked a few times in shock, allowing the words to sink in.

"You. . .you do?" He was never one for words, but her confession left him speechless. She smiled brighter and wider than he had ever seen as she shook her head enthusiastically.

"Yeah." She leaned into his embrace, nuzzling her head against his. "I really do."

He didn't know how long he held her there in the roomy car. He couldn't tell you how late they had stayed out that night, kissing and holding one another.

What he did know, was that he had never loved her more than in that one moment.

And nothing was ever going to change that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He woke up earlier than his alarm, something that was basically unheard of in the world of Finn Hudson. But it was okay. Today was an exception.

It was the first day at his new job.

He'd been contemplating leaving Lima altogether; pack up his Firebird and never look back. But then he realized that running away from his problems didn't exactly solve them all. New York had been proof of that. . .

So he decided that the only way to change his image of a Lima Loser, was to conquer the town he had once despised so much. He was going to prove to everyone, including himself, that he could break free from the cycle; find happiness in a town that breeds mediocrity.

This was his second chance. And it was all thanks to Will Schuester.

It had been three months since he had come into the shop, the summer was over before it had even started for Finn, and his old mentor had gotten him thinking about a lot of things in his life. What made him happy, what his talents were. After a ton of intense, life changing refelction, he'd realized that the one thing in his life that had made him truly happy was glee club. That and cars. So he decided to take a page out of his mentors book and do what he loved.

Finn Hudson was the new director of his old high school glee club and the new Auto Shop teacher.

It hadn't been easy securing the job. He didn't necessarily have a teaching license; only 14 years of rock-solid auto experience and his love for music. But when he went into the interview, instead of meeting with an ancient Figgins, he shook the hand of one Bryan Ryan; ex-glee clubber, and school administrator who had risen up the ranks and was now _Principal_ Ryan. He remembered Finn from way back, and allowed him to take the job only if he taught summer driver's ed classes for free. Apparently he had a soft spot for Alumni.

A deal had been reached. Finn had spent the whole summer in the passenger's seat of a car, trying to make sure the youth of the town didn't kill or maim anyone. At least he was able to meet some of the kids he would be seeing at school. He started to spread the word around that he was the new Shop teacher and he hoped he could start making a good impression on both parents and students.

But that wasn't the only thing he had spent his summer doing.

He was also on the lookout for one Rachel Berry.

He couldn't believe she was back in town. No, really, he couldn't; when he had first saw her he thought she was an illusion. A trick of the mind. It wasn't until he recognized her fathers in the front seat when he realized he wasn't staring at a mirage. Rachel Berry was back.

And it was driving him insane.

What was she doing here? How long was she staying? These were things he needed to know! How dare she just waltz back into his town after everything that happened? After their final argument!  
_  
__"Just go back to Lima, Finn! It's where you belong!"_ The words that had been haunting him for a decade rang in his head as he continued to get dressed for the first day of school.

He was not going to let it get to him. Today was too important.

Besides, he wasn't even sure she was still in town. He had spent all summer scouring the town for her. He both wanted to see her _and_ avoid her at all costs. He wanted to confront her, and unleash ten years of pent up anger and bitterness, but then he also never wanted to talk to her again. One second he wanted to pound on her father's front door and demand answers, and other times he wished she would just go away.

But he hadn't seen her again after that one day in the beginning of the summer. Driving around town for Drivers Ed, he purposefully maneuvered the kids around her neighborhood so he could pass by the Berry household without looking like a creeper. He never saw her enter the house or leave it. Her old bedroom light was always off. He never saw her around town during the day, and no one knew any news about her. For all he knew, she was just here to visit her dads.

Yeah, that must have been it. She'd visited her dads and then left town again. Done and done.

Now he could focus on the first day of his new job.

He straightened his tie and checked himself out in the mirror. He cleaned up nicely! It was embarrassing to admit at age 30, but his mother had helped him buy slacks and professional dress clothes for his new job. He had the work overalls he would wear for when classes got hands on with the cars, but today he was dressed to impress.

He picked up his new messenger bag and walked out to his completed Firebird, shining in the morning sun outside of Finn's apartment. He drove the car across town to the high school, where he parked his car outside of the Auto Garage. He entered his classroom, turning on the lights and checking over his tools and supplies. A huge smile pulled up the corners of his mouth as he went over his class rosters and started to plan the opening lesson. Sure, it was the first day, but there were always strict safety rules to follow in a class like this, and they had things to discuss.

He felt like a teacher already and the day hadn't even started yet. And the first glee rehearsal was after school.

The first bell rang and he was overcome with anxiety for his first day as a teacher. One by one, the class filled with 16 year old boys; he couldn't find a single girl in the entire class and Auto Shop was an elective they got to choose. He shrugged his shoulders as he took attendance. One name stood out amongst the others about halfway down the list.

"Samantha Fletcher?"

"It's _Sam_." Came the harsh reply from the back of the room as the heads of the other boys turned around to stare at the one girl in their auto body class. Her face was caked in make-up and she had a deep frown set into her face. He could see ear-buds in her ears, even though mp3 players weren't allowed in class. She was dress very ambiguously, and she gave death glares to the boys who stared at her longer than necessary.

"OK, Sam." She was sitting alone, and one thing about this class was that all students needed a partner for projects. Suddenly a student walked in late, almost tripping over himself to get into class. Hey, he recognized this one! He was one of his driver's ed students from the summer, Andy Donovan.

"Sorry about that Mr. Hudson." Ha, someone called him Mr. Hudson! Bitchin'.

"It's okay Andy, just sit next to Sam in the back." The tall boy sat next to the girl in the back of the room as he started class.

"Alright guys, get up and follow me." The kids all looked at each other with various looks of confusion as they stood up and followed Finn out of the workshop and outside where he parked his car. He gathered the class around his Firebird, and the majority of his students were salivating over it. "This is a 1969 Firebird, guys. Took me years of my life just to get it to look this good and it's still not finished yet." He popped the hood of the car and his students looked like they would wet themselves in excitement. "You guys want to learn how to fix up cars like this, you're going to do everything I say. Safety always come first, but if we could get all that boring stuff out of the way, you'll be tuning carburetors and running shock checks by Thanksgiving. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Hudson." The kids said in unison and he beamed.

This teaching thing was way better than he thought it would be.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. His students all seemed okay, but he was learning quickly that they weren't the brightest boys he'd ever met. Most of them were using Auto Shop to bring up their GPA's but he was relieved that they really seemed interested in the work. Sam Fletcher turned out to be the only girl he taught in four different Auto classes, which he understood. Most girls wouldn't like to be covered in dirt and grease all day long.

By the time the bell rang for the end of the day, he was exhausted. Even after working 15 hour days in the shop he was never as tired as this. Teaching totally drained him, but it was welcome. He hadn't felt this alive in years, and it was still only his first day.

He walked through the hallways towards the music corridor, when Principal Ryan exited the choir room, greeting Finn with a handshake and a smile. "Finn Hudson, just the man I wanted to see. How was your first day?"

"It was great, sir. The students seem enthusiastic and I can't wait to start lessons and glee rehearsal."

A small frown marred the normally happy face of Bryan Ryan. "Well, Finn, you see, we have a little problem." He rubbed his temples with his hands and squinted his eyes trying to remove the pressures of a headache. "Our new music teacher was adamant in demanding the position of glee club director, and I kind of balked in the middle of meeting with her. She's one tough cookie, that woman can _negotiate_."

Disappointment burned through him as he contemplated Bryan's words. Someone had stolen his director's position?

"So I'm not going to be coaching the glee club?"

"No! No, Finn I promised you first! Of course, you'll still be directing, but you're going to have a co-director as well. I hope that's still okay with you."

"Of course!" He didn't care what he had to do, he wanted to coach that club. If he had to share the job with the new music teacher, so be it. Hopefully she could play the piano, and his transposing and arranging skills were rusty anyway. Maybe this was a good thing.

"Wonderful! It's settled then! Let me introduce you to her!" Bryan led Finn into the choir room and he straightened out his tie, ready to meet his new co-director. He stepped into the room and smiled at the kids in their seats, waiting for their first glee rehearsal to start. He could see someone rummaging through papers in the music office. That must be her.

"Kids, I would like you all to meet your new co-directors of New Directions!" The woman exited the small office and suddenly it felt as if the loose tie around his neck was choking him.

Standing not even six feet away from him, was Rachel Berry.

"This is Ms. Berry, the new music theory teacher." Principal Ryan pulled her to one side of him while Finn stood on the other side, shock and terror morphing his features into an expression of utter disbelief. She shared a matching expression. "And Mr. Hudson, the new Auto Shop teacher."

It felt like the students and the principal weren't even in the room with them. Like time was standing still. She looked almost exactly the same from the last time he saw her ten years ago, except she looked older, more mature. Her taste in clothing had matured as well, instead of plaid and argyle and pleats she was wearing silk and lace and ruffles. Lots of ruffles.

He was snapped out of his trance when her loud voice projected throughout the room. It was still as clear as a bell, and he hated the way his heart lurched painfully in his chest when she broke eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry Principal Ryan, but I'm not sure I can work in these conditions." The students all gave each other funny looks while the Principal furrowed his brow deeply and frowned.

"Let's talk about this in the hallway, shall we?" He led the two adults into the hallway and crossed his arms in front of his chest, giving them both a severe glare. "Are we going to have a problem with this arrangement? Because I thought I would be able to trust two of New Direction's most cherished alumni to run the program."

"No, not at all Principal Ryan." Finn was quick to defend his position, he did not want to lose it.

"Well, then what is the problem?" He didn't look like he was in the mood for this.

"With all due respect sir," He had to roll his eyes when Rachel stepped forward and started to speak in her most arrogant tone. "Finn and I have what some people would call a _history_, and I'm not sure this arrangement would be beneficial for both parties involved. . ."

Principal Ryan interrupted her with a curt scoff and a wave of his hand."Ms. Berry, does it look like I care about your and Mr. Hudson's supposed 'history?' I have a school to run, and I would like to know that I am leaving New Directions, a club that is dear to my own heart, in the capable hands of two professionals. If you can't work together as a team, how will you be able to coach a team?" Finn and Rachel shared a look that was filled with many emotions, mostly hesitation and annoyance. "Your team is still a few members short after some of them graduated last year, and they happened to be the leads. You need to hold auditions and live up to the legacy created by Will Schuester. And, I want proof that you two can work well together. Your team has to place at Regionals and hopefully move on to State in order for you two to keep your jobs as co-directors, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." Finn was shocked to hear Rachel agree with him in unison, and Principal Ryan left them there in the middle of the hallway, alone for the first time in ten years.

Of course she was the one to break the silence. "Great. This is just perfect." She threw her hands up in the air as Finn watched her with a frown.

"Believe me, I'm not doing cartwheels over this either."

She turned to him with her lip curled up in a sneer. "I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about the club."

"Yeah, well I was talking about you. What are you even doing here?"

She shrugged. "Lima is my home."

"Yeah, well it hasn't been your home for ten years, why start again now?"

"I have my reasons, Finn."

He turned on her, hovering over her and projecting all the anger and bitterness that had been festering in his heart for a decade. "Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't have come back. I'm not going to let you ruin another one of my dreams."

Her mouth dropped open in offense and her voice was thick with annoyance. "That's really rich coming from you. And you can't tell me what to do. I'm back in town, deal with it. We have a club to run now. So if you'd rather try and intimidate me and boss me around, you can forget it _Mr. Hudson_. Those days are long over." She turned on her heel and re-entered the choir room. He could hear her play some chords to get the student's attention to start rehearsal. He stood in the hallway and tried not to punch a locker.

She was back. Rachel was not only back in town, but she was teaching at the school as well, coaching the glee club alongside of him and basically ruining every last good thing in his life. Was he being punished for something, was this bad karma?

He couldn't focus on that now. Bryan Ryan had given them a ultimatum. They had to work as a team in order to coach a team, and if they didn't make it to Regionals, they were both out of a job.

They had to stop living in the past and grow up, quick.

It was time to move on.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Oh the joys of parallels! Finn and Rachel have a lot to do in order to get the club to Regionals!

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	4. The Team

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: From here on, the dreams/flashbacks are going to take place at different parts of the chapter. I don't want to confuse anyone, this chapter picks up right where we left off last time ;)

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Four: The Team**

"So if you'd rather try and intimidate me and boss me around, you can forget it _Mr. Hudson_. Those days are long over." With all the poise and dignity she could muster, she turned on her heel and walked back into the rehearsal. All the students were staring at her like she had two heads, and when she played some chords to get their attention, they all had their arms crossed over their chests, a petulant look on all their faces.

"So today, I would like to get started with some vocal exercises, just to hear how you guys sound, and then maybe we can start separating you by parts."

Finn entered the room again and stood next to the piano, annoyance creasing his brow. "Rachel, its only the first day. We should be getting to know these kids, first. Today we should keep it light. We can start the real rehearsals next week."

She turned on her co-director and let all of her bitterness for him seep into her tone. "Excuse me, Finn, but I think I'm the only one here with a music degree, let me take care of this." She saw the kids exchange looks with each other from the corner of her eyes.

"I don't think so, Rachel. I'm the co-director, which means my opinion counts too. And I think we should spend the rehearsal talking about music, and introducing ourselves to our new students."

She turned on him, forgetting her students were with them in the room. "We're not here to make friends, we're here to win a National championship."

"Wow, that's a _great_ attitude to have around kids."

Rachel was about to retort again, when a tall blond girl in the second row stood up and raised her hand. "Excuse me!" Finn and Rachel turned to the girl, stunned out of their mini-argument and forced back into rehearsal where they had just been arguing in front of their new students. This hadn't been the best first impression ever.

"Um, yes?" They had to learn these kids' names!

The blond girl placed her hands on her hips and frowned at Finn and Rachel. "No offense, but you two suck!"

"Huh?" Was Finn's eloquent reply.

A small girl with braids in the front row looked like she was in tears. "I miss Mr. Schuester." Some of her teammates rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. The blond continued. "Mr. Schuester wasn't only our glee advisor, he was our friend. He sang for us, and cared about us. He listened to us and encouraged us to be great. You two have done nothing but fight about each other since you entered the room."

A boy with long black hair, bangs flopped over his eyes, agreed. "Yeah, what did you two used to bang or something?"

"_Inappropriate!_" Rachel squeaked and Finn stepped forward.

"Listen guys, I for one, am sorry we stepped off on the wrong foot. Ms. Berry and I were the first students to work with Will Schuester, okay? We know better than anyone how amazing he was." Rachel could only stand and nod. She had forgotten how important Mr. Schuester was; not only because he'd won five National titles in twelve years, but because of the way he encouraged and inspired his students. How many times did he have to boost morale after a bad competition? She could still remember their first major loss: Regionals 2010. It seemed like a different lifetime to her after all these years, and she forced herself back into those cherished memories of her youth. When they had all lost hope, and they thought glee had been disbanded, it was Mr. Schuester who had brought them all back together through music. Mr. Schuester _was_ glee club, and now he was gone.

These kids must be _devastated_.

"To be honest, Ms. Berry and I were the first co-captains to bring home a National Show Choir Championship in over a decade. We've been there, and this year I am more than sure we can do it again."

The kids looked a bit reassured, but they weren't won over yet. She had an idea.

"How about we sing something for you?" That had gotten Finn's attention; they hadn't sung together in over a decade. He looked like he wanted to argue; what the hell did they have to sing to each other? But he knew it was for morale, so he nodded his head and asked her what she wanted to sing.

"I'm not sure, is Brad still around?" Their old accompanist always used to just, well, _be around_.

"Yeah!" The small girl in braids ran off to find Brad while Finn and Rachel talked about their song choice in hushed tones.

"What are we going to sing?" They hadn't spoken or seen each other in ten years and now they were supposed to sing a duet together? She went through their old repertoire in her head. Queen, Jordin Sparks, Journey. It was one love song after another, and those songs held too much meaning to their past relationship. It made her heart hurt just thinking about it. His frown was quite deep as well.

"Something encouraging. We can't screw this up, Rachel. We need these kids to trust us." They'd had their differences in the past, but they had to get over it, fast. This wasn't about them anymore, this was about the team. They had to be leaders now; other people were relying on them to get the job done.

This wasn't about their past or their egos; this was about their kids.

"I have an idea." She whispered the song into his ear while the small girl returned to the room with Brad, looking the same except his hair was white and his glasses were extra thick. She whispered the song choice in Brad's ear. It wasn't one of their more popular songs, just something they had worked on once without getting a chance to perform it. It was _kind of_ a love song, but as long as it had no connection to their past she had no problems with singing it. Finn got a small smile on his face, and she had to look away from him. It made her heart flutter in her chest and she couldn't let him affect her like that after a decade of torture.

The kids sat in front of them, waiting to hear their new advisors inspire them through music, just as Mr. Schuester had done. Rachel began the opening verse, her voice still pitch perfect after all these years.

_Tommy used to work on the docks__  
__Union's been on strike__  
__He's down on his luck...it's tough, so tough__  
_  
Finn stepped forward and sang the second verse. She had to admit his voice was rusty after all these years, but it still made her stomach twist in knots and goosebumps rise on her arms.

_Gina works the diner all day__  
__Working for her man, she brings home her pay__  
__For love - for love_

They made eye contact and the rest of the world stopped spinning. Their voices joined together in harmony for the bridge, and it was like the past ten years had never even happened. Like they were still sixteen and young and in love. Finn and Rachel against the world.  
_  
__She says: We've got to hold on to what we've got__  
__'Cause it doesn't make a difference__  
__If we make it or not__  
__We've got each other and that's a lot__  
__For love - we'll give it a shot__  
__  
__We're half way there__  
__Livin' on a prayer__  
__Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear__  
__Livin' on a prayer_

_Livin' on a prayer_

Their voices echoed in the choir room, bouncing off the walls and filling the room with a symphony of harmony. It was strange to sing with him after a decade of misery and anguish. She thought she would never feel this way again; this energetic, this alive. It'd seemed like that feeling had died along with her dreams years ago. It wasn't until the song was over when she realized that he had actually taken her hand in his when the lyric called for it. It was warm and large, and when she pulled away from him their eyes stayed locked together. She was mesmerized. The look in his gaze was so conflicted, so torn; she had to look away, turning to the kids to see their reactions.

The kids were all out of their seats, clapping and cheering for their performance. At least _they'd_ had fun. She felt like ten years of pent up emotions were bubbling to the surface and all she wanted to do was escape. But she put on a happy smile and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright guys, Invitationals is on one month. Sectionals is in December. Regionals in May. Auditions for first leads will happen next week."

"But Ms. Berry, we're still two people short! Our captains graduated last year." A voice rang out from the seats and Finn just smiled.

"Ms. Berry and I are going to take care of everything, don't worry. All you guys have to worry about is your first assignment! We want you to choose a song that describes what you did this summer, and use it as your audition piece for next week. Is there anything you would like to add?" He was being so cordial, so inclusive with her. Yeah, it might have been for show, but it still threw her off guard.

"Um, no, Mr. Hudson. I think that's everything." With that, the students all got up and left the room, whispering things to each other on the way out. She heard a few students saying that they still missed Mr. Schuester, and the emo kid with the bangs still thought they used to screw.

_If only they knew._

When they were alone in the choir room, she sneaked a glance at him from the corner of her eye. She hadn't had the time before to fully appraise her ex, but damn, did he look_ fine_. The years had been good to him, and she had to stifle a squeak when she noticed a few fine grey hairs along his hairline. Instead of making him look old, they made him look distinguished. Sexy, even.

The silence was thick and choking. Rachel could feel it building around her until it was almost suffocating her. She took a deep breath and turned around to talk to him.

"Finn-"

"Rachel-" They looked at each other in shock when they spoke in unison, turning to each other at the same time. They shared a look that was so conflicted, so full of turmoil, they didn't know how to continue.

Rubbing her temples, she tried to ease the tension out of her head. "Look, what happened earlier was inappropriate and unprofessional. We shouldn't be fighting in front of the students. Ever."

"Agreed." Once again, the silence stretched out in front of them and they had never felt more awkward around the other person in their lives. "It's just that. . .it's been _ten years_, Rachel." He looked away from her, staring at the cracks in the floor.

"I know, Finn. But we're the coaches of these kids now. We have to set a good example and encourage them, we can't be caught up in a decade-old drama." She sighed deeply and came up with an idea. "How about we just forget about it."

His head shot up in confusion. "Huh?"

"We pretend like it never happened. Like we were just two friends that grew apart after high school and haven't seen each other since then." His incredulous look was almost comical. "Then, one day, when we're ready, we can talk about it."

His hesitation was apparent. "You want to pretend that it all never happened? New York, the fight, everything?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she weighed out all of her options. They couldn't coach the team with this burden over their heads, and they both were in no place to start digging up the past. They needed time. It was their job now to coach the team, and she wasn't going to let their personal drama get in the way of a championship win. "I think it might be for the best." He looked away from her, not liking the agreement.

"I can't just forget what happened between us, Rachel. But I can pretend, I guess." The lingering pain was still present in his voice, his posture, even the look in eyes. "But one day, you and I are going to have to own up to the choices we made ten years ago. And I don't think it'll be pretty."

No, she didn't think so either. "I know, Finn. But we have to do this. For the kids." She stuck out her hand and turned on her dormant acting skills. "Hey Finn, remember me? It's Rachel Berry, from high school!"

He looked at her like she was insane. Like this arrangement would probably do more harm than good for them in the long run. She had to admit, repression and denial weren't the healthiest techniques for dealing with your problems but it seemed like their only choice. But instead of scoffing and walking away, the smallest of smiles pulled at his lips while he placed his hand in hers.

"It's really nice to see you again, Rach. It's been too long."

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Rachel walked through the aisles of her local supermarket, picking up some vegetables and tofu for her new Vegan Stir-Fry recipe. Walking with her head down, deep in thought, she could only replay the events of the afternoon and contemplate her options.

She was going to be working with Finn, side-by-side, from now on.

It was like a torrent of emotions raging inside of her, threatening to swallow her whole while she tried desperately to hold onto reality. Anger, bitterness, regret, longing, sadness. She was suddenly very, _very_ thirsty. Maybe this whole denial thing was a bad idea; she was sure this was going to blow up in her face someway or another, just like all of the other bad choices she'd made in her life. Picking up a bottle of water from the shelves, she opened it, drinking deeply. She would pay for it later.

She just couldn't handle it all right now. She didn't even think she was even mature enough to delve back into the emotions of a desperate 19-year-old drama queen. It was all too much, and she wasn't about to open up _that_ Pandora's Box of angst alone.

She was contemplating on whether to buy the Firm tofu or the Extra Firm tofu, when she heard her name being called by a familiar voice. Turning her head around, she almost dropped both packages of tofu on the floor.

"Rachel Berry? Is that you?" Her hair was tied in an elegant knot and she was wearing a billowing black dress, but she would recognize that face anywhere.

It was Tina Cohen-Chang.

_"Tina?"_ She repeated the name in wonder as she absorbed the image of her high school friend. Tears almost sprung to her eyes when the two women embraced in the middle of the supermarket. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm in town visiting my parents! It's so great to see you!" The woman looked like she was practically glowing and she felt a deep fondness for her former friend. She looked her up and down and noticed that the billowing dress was hiding something. . .

"Oh my God, are you _pregnant_!" Tina's smile was all the answer she needed.

"Yup, this is my second child. Artie is at my parent's house with our daughter Abby." Rachel smiled. Artie, Tina and Abby Abrams. It sounded like the perfect family. A strange sense of envy seeped into Rachel's bones. Why couldn't she have the perfect family? She and Tina were the same age, and yet Tina had everything that Rachel didn't. A husband, a family.

_A life_.

She shook the envy out of her mind and focused on reconnecting with her old friend. She was happy for Tina. No one deserved happiness like Artie and Tina did. "Are you in town for long?"

"Um, I moved home actually." She let that hang in the air and Tina frowned.

"Moved back home? You mean to Lima?" Rachel nodded timidly and Tina's frown deepened. "What happened to you and Finn in New York?" The simple mention of Finn and New York, plus the reunion with one of her most cherished friends from glee was all that Rachel could take in a day that had been filled with both anxiety and anguish. She tried to choke back her tears but they started to fall relentlessly, scaring Tina into a shock. "Rachel?"

"I'm sorry Tina, it's just been a _rough_ day and I don't even know where to begin."

"Listen." Tina's voice was firm and authoritative, a far cry from the once shy girl with a stutter she'd known in high school. "I am in town until the end of the weekend for my baby shower. Let's do lunch on Thursday, and we can talk about everything. Finn, New York, Lima. You look like you could use a friend." Tina enveloped the woman in a very motherly hug and Rachel felt solaced. Maybe talking to Tina about this was a good thing. She'd never talked to anyone about it before, and it seemed as if she really needed to get it off of her chest. "And I want you to be at the shower on Friday, too."

"I would like that Tina, thanks." They exchanged cell numbers and promised to meet at Breadstix for lunch on Thursday.

Rachel went home straight afterwards, made her Vegan Stir-Fry without tofu, and fell into an uneasy sleep.

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Excitement filled the halls of McKinley High School, as the Seniors all buzzed with energy for the assembly that they had later that afternoon. It was the last week of school, and the final hurrah for Finn, Rachel, and all the other members of the glee club. It was bittersweet; as happy as they were to finally be free of McKinely, they knew that after this summer it would be over. People were going to go their separate ways.

Rachel had always known that this day would come; in fact, she'd been anticipating it her whole life. This was their _chance_. She and Finn had decided to skip town the day after graduation: it was going to be Finn and Rachel against the world from then on. They had spent two years saving up every penny they had, and they were gonna make it all by themselves, together. They didn't know what they were going to do yet, but they were ready for anything. It was their dream. It was their everything.

The gleeks all sat next to each other during the assembly, Finn wrapping an arm around her and holding her close to his side. It was Senior Awards Day, the day that they handed out the awards for "Most School Spirit" And "Most Likely to Become President." Normally, an assembly such as this wouldn't affect Rachel; these awards had no true merit to anyone's talents and were basically a popularity contest. But there was one award she wanted to win, and she wanted to win it more than anything.

"Most Likely to Appear on American Idol"

Now, she had no intentions of being on American Idol, _ever_. She was born for Broadway, and nothing was going to change that. But it was the _idea_ of the award that got to her. It was basically the award for "Most Likely to be A Star."

And that was Rachel Berry in a nutshell.

Confidence and a bit of arrogance took control of her throughout the assembly. She had proven to this school time and again that she had the potential for greatness, and seeing as they were able to win the school's first National Show Choir championship for the first time in over a decade was proof enough that she had the star power to win the award. Jacob Ben Israel and Lauren Zices read the awards and winners into the microphone of the podium on stage, and Rachel waited with bated breath for the award. Finn was holding her hand softly, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. He knew how much she'd wanted to win the award, and he thought she was a shoe-in.

"Next is the award for 'Couple Most Likely to get Married.' And the winners are. . . Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson!" Shock and surprise were clearly written on Rachel's face as the information sunk in. She heard her glee club members clap and cheer for them, and Finn had to basically pull her onto her feet in order to go collect their award. Jacob and Lauren each pinned a paper medal onto their clothes. She blushed deeply as Finn reached over and kissed her on the cheek on stage, the crowd clapping and laughing. It wasn't until they were off the stage when she realized what this all meant.

The school thought they were the perfect couple. That they would stay together and get married and have a happy life together. That they had what it took to make it last after high school.

It felt like the smile would never leave her face. She held onto Finn's hand tightly, like she never wanted to let go.

A few more awards were announced. Kurt won the award for "Best Wardrobe" and Santana won the award for "Most Likely to be in Maxim." Finally her award was announced, the award that would prove to everyone that she was born to make it big.

"The award for 'Most Likely to be on American Idol' goes to. . . Mercedes Jones!'" She could hear Mercedes' surprised shriek and watched as her fellow gleek ran to the stage to accept the award.

_Her_ award.

She didn't care if it was selfish. She didn't care if it was childish and rude and inappropriate. Rachel shot out of her seat and ran towards the nearest exit, shocking Finn and the rest of the glee club members. She'd wanted that award more than anyone! Didn't four years of placing gold stars on everything count at all? Did no one really understand Rachel's potential as a performer?

_It's just a popularity contest, the award doesn't mean a thing!_ She tried to repeat it over and over again, willing it to be true, but she couldn't. The award _had_ meant something to her.

Something _big_.

Finn exited the assembly, looking for Rachel with a worried crease in his brow. He found her standing at the lockers across from the auditorium. "Rach?" He sounded worried. "What's up?"

She looked at him with anger in her eyes. "_I_ should have won that award, Finn. Not Mercedes."

"Hey, hey." He cooed to her, trying to ease the tension from his girlfriend. "Mercedes is a great performer, and one of our best friends. You shouldn't be that way."

"Oh, really? Is she better than me?" She was letting this award affect her way too much, but she couldn't stop the burn of disappointment that scalded her self-esteem.

"You know that's not true. Why are you being like this? It's just an award."

"It was _my_ award, Finn! I deserved that award. No one worked harder than me to make this club great."

"Rachel, this is nothing more than a stupid popularity contest! Besides, it's not like you walked away empty handed. _We_ won an award for being an awesome couple. Doesn't _that_ mean anything?" He looked like his feelings were almost hurt. She looked down at the paper medal on her shirt. "Couple Most Likely to Get Married." It was a nice award, but not the one she'd really wanted.

"Yeah, it does." Was the weak reply she left hanging in the air. She didn't elaborate, and allowed Finn to lead her back into the auditorium to finish the assembly. They hadn't won any other awards, but something about the assembly was bothering her all day. Something important.

Her dreams had always been of a life of stardom: her name in lights, adoring fans, bodyguards and interviews and paparazzi.

Never in any of her plans, had she dreamed of _marriage_.

So she had to think about it. She'd contemplated nothing but her and Finn's future throughout the rest of the day. If she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that she wanted _both_ of those things. She wanted the life of a celebrity and the man of her dreams. Rachel Berry was the kind of girl who wanted it all, and wanted it too much.

But what if, one day, she _had_ to choose between the two? It was just frivolity; she knew she would never have to make a decision like that, but the idea still stuck with her. Would she rather be a star, or married to the love of her life?

It scared her to admit that she didn't know the answer to the question.

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Salut mes amis!

I hope you're starting to put some of the pieces together!

Until Next Time. . . *sings* Don't Stop Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	5. The Drive

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: I've been officially diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel in my wrists, so I don't know how often Ill be able to update anymore. The pain is pretty bad and I have to go for nerve tests. Pray for Minsky, she needs it!

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Five: The Drive**

The road stretched out in front of them for miles, the only thing standing in-between them and their dreams was the distance between Ohio and New York. It was hot and stifling outside, but inside the tiny, cramped car, it was nice and cool. Thank God for A/C.

If only they had some room for their feet. Finn and Rachel had shoved every last possession they owned into Finn's little car and they were finally on their way to New York after years and years of dreaming.

From now on, it was just Finn and Rachel against the world.

They took turns driving; every three hours they would switch off and nap. They weren't going to waste any time or money on hotels, and they had a deadline to make. It was only going to take eleven or twelve hours to drive to New York, depending on traffic, but nothing was going to delay them. They were meeting with landlords in two days for apartments, and Rachel had her first round of rehearsals to go to as well. New York was so close they could taste it, even if the road sign said they still had 200 miles to go.

Peeking out of the corner of his eyes, he sneaked a glance at his napping companion. Her head was leaning against the passengers window, her short puffs of breath leaving a tiny patch of fog on the glass. He couldn't look at her for long, he had to keep his eyes on the road; but being with her in this car, at the beginning of their adventures together, he couldn't help but feel excited.

All their dreams were coming true.

The sun began to set on the horizon, and Finn was worried about driving all night long. They definitely should have left earlier that day, but saying goodbye to everyone they had ever known had taken a _long_ time. Looking at the signs, he realized that they were somewhere in Pennsylvania, driving along the I-80. His traveling partner started to stir, and he smiled at her softly while she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Hey, Sleepyhead." She nudged him playfully while she tried to stretch her limbs in the small space.

"Hey you." A loud yawn filled the car and he had to stifle a laugh. How so much noise could come out of a girl so tiny, he would never know. "How are we doing? Where are we?"

"Well, according to the signs we are in Pennsylvania. Where in Pennsylvania, I don't know."

"It's getting dark." She looked out he window worriedly and he knew she was thinking the same thing he was. Where were they gonna sleep? The car was so crowded, and they'd already ruled out motels because of money. All of a sudden, her face lit up like a child watching a fireworks display. "I have an idea!"

"What is it?"

"Let's sleep outside!" He couldn't help but smile at her unbridled enthusiasm, but he shook his head.

"Rachel, we can't sleep outside, we don't have a tent."

"So? People slept under the stars for hundreds of thousands of years before man created shelter. Are we too good to sleep outside merely because we were born in an era where man has manufactured tents instead of relying on nature to provide for them?" Half of what she said went completely over his head, but he got the jist of what she was saying.

"I've never slept outside before." He added thoughtfully.

"Me neither! I have two gay dads who can't sew and live off take-out. I couldn't even imagine them sleeping outdoors."

"Well, we also gotta eat."

She pointed to an exit ramp and smiled. "Get off at this stop, we'll see what we can find." Snow Shoe, Pennsylvania was the town they entered at dusk on that warm summer's night, and they were able to find a market that was still open. While Finn was picking out graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows for s'mores, Rachel picked up firewood and bottled water and two types of hot-dogs- regular and tofu- for survival. Finn had to admit, Rachel always had her priorities in order. They paid for their goods and went back to the car, driving around town but staying away from the ramp to I-80. They had some exploring to do.

The sun was almost set when they found an empty lot that bordered the forest. This town was small and rural, and they were hoping that they wouldn't be bothered during their adventure in the woods. They parked the car on the border of the forest, pulling out all the blankets and supplies they would need. It took them two trips, but they were able to set up a small spot in the woods, just for them. Rachel sat on the blankets, watching Finn set up the fire with joy lighting her eyes. The last rays of sunshine were fading from the vast sky as the two teenagers huddled together on the blankets on the forest floor. Rachel sprayed bug spray around the perimeter of the blankets for a good ten minutes before she was satisfied that they would be protected from mosquitoes and gnats. When the two of them finally embraced on the blankets, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

They stayed like that for a while. Rachel was snuggled into Finn's chest as he held her from behind, his arms wrapped around her body while she roasted their hot dogs in front of them. The fire was now their only light, and it burned and crackled in front of them as the flames licked the smoking hot-dogs.

"This was a good idea." He murmured into her hair as she turned the hot-dogs over on their little stick. He could almost hear the smile in her tone.

"I know." Her voice was playfully bossy and she flipped her hair around. She straightened herself in his arms and he laughed at her antics. "I always have the best ideas."

"Yes you do." Despite the warmth of the fire, it seemed like the temperature in the woods had dropped an exrta ten degrees. Finn could feel Rachel's shoulders shake in the slight chill of the night, and he reached for his Football jacket, the letters popping out in the dim lighting. Draping the jacket over her shoulders, he held onto her as she snuggled into both the material and his embrace.

They ate their hot-dogs in relative silence, chatting lightly about the trip and making it to New York. Rachel and her dads had made an agreement that they would give her her college money in monthly payments, so she can audition and not have to worry about work. Rachel, in a decision he could only call _ambitious_, decided to forgo college in order to start working in the business right away. She'd stated that she already knew everything she needed to know, and that college, while beneficial, would only hinder her career in the long run.

He hadn't agreed with her, but it was a battle that he had not won. In fact, it had been kind of an important fight. As supportive as he was, he knew college would be better for her in the long run. However, she was adamant about starting acting right away, and he had promised that he was going to do everything in his power to help her.

If only he knew what _he_ was going to do in New York. Sure, his goal had been to get out of Lima, but now that he was out, he was looking forward to a challenge. He was finally free, and as long as he had Rachel, he felt like he could do anything. She was his inspiration, his drive. His _muse_. As long as he was with Rachel, anything was possible.

They sat on their little blanket under the stars for a while, staring up at the night sky and trying to find patterns in the stars. Rachel had found Orion's Belt, while Finn expertly pointed out the Big Dipper from his years as a boy scout. The moon, round and red, rose on the horizon and bathed the woods in an eerie moonlight. They watched as it climbed higher and higher in the night sky, licking chocolate and marshmallows off of their faces like they were watching a movie. Things like the stars and the moon had never seemed interesting to Finn before he met Rachel. But now, he was sure she could make watching paint dry a spectator sport.

The night was quiet, filled with only the sounds of the crackling fire, the crickets and the creatures of the night. When his face was finally free from stickiness, he leaned over and started to kiss the skin on Rachel's neck. Shuddering lightly under his caresses, he knew it wasn't the chill in the air that was making her shiver.

She turned around to face him, his jacket still hanging on her shoulders. The fire behind her gave her body a heavenly glow, making her look like an angel in the night. Kissing him softly, with nothing but the stars and the woods surrounding them, he had never felt more in love in his life. This girl was everything. She was hope, ambition and talent all wrapped up into one beautiful package.

And she was all his.

She slipped off his jacket while their lips were still attached and he moaned into her mouth when she reached for his clothes. Pulling away from her, he could barely keep his hands to himself while she smiled at him seductively, pulling her shirt over her head to reveal her creamy skin to the night air. "Let's make love. Right here. Under the stars." Pupils dilated, lips pouted, she looked like a sex goddess in the firelight. She continued to undress herself while he stared at her in awe. She was a firecracker- a ball of pure energy. She drew inspiration from everything around her and turned it into something beautiful.

Pulling off his clothes, he never would have imagined himself having sex in the middle of the forest under the stars. But then again, he had never been on an adventure with Rachel before. Anything was possible with Rachel at his side.

She stood over him, pulling off the last few pieces of clothing and standing before him like a deity. She had her arms raised in the air, fully naked, as she stared up at the stars with a smile on her face. He could only stare in awe as she closed her eyes and twirled naked around the fire, chanting about mother nature and being one with the earth while making love.

He had to admit, it was ridiculously exhilarating to be naked in the forest with Rachel. To be alone with her so intimately. To sit under the stars where it was only the two of them and no one else.

He watched her as she danced around the fire, her creamy skin glowing in the firelight, her small breasts bouncing around with her body. She made eye contact with him and he could see the energy burning under the surface. He felt his body grow hot and hard, and he stroked himself a few times in anticipation. She watched him while he did this and continued to dance for him, her hips swaying to a beat he couldn't hear. She started to walk towards him, her strut sexy and full of purpose. Joining him on their makeshift bed under the stars, she pushed him down onto the blanket and towered above him. He wasn't going to tell anyone, but he loved it when she was bossy in bed.

"This is it, Finn. From now on, it's just you and me." She sat on top of him, grinding their bodies together and making his eyes roll into the back of his head. "All our dreams are finally coming true."

She slipped herself onto him, surrounding Finn completely and shouting out her love to the stars. As she rode him on their makeshift bed, the only light coming from the fire and the moon, he knew that this was the first of many adventures they would have together. His hips thrust off of the sheets, showing his own enthusiasm as he realized that Rachel was right. Their dreams were coming true. This was everything they had ever wanted: freedom, opportunity, love. It was all right here, in his arms.

As they came, filling the forests with the sounds of their lovemaking, Finn tried to hold on to the feeling that flowed throughout him in that one moment for as long as he could. Rachel was his everything, his dream. And in that moment, the feeling that spread through him was nothing he'd ever felt before. It was a strange mix of love and ambition and fantasy. He never wanted it to go away.

As they fell asleep, wrapped in each others arms after making love under the stars, he realized what the feeling had been.

It was what dreams were made of.

And he was never letting it go.

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The shrill ringing of the bell for class snapped Finn out of the light nap he'd taken after breakfast. He hadn't been sleeping well lately, probably because of all the dreams he'd been having, and he was taking advantage of every free second he had. Teachers had to be on top of their game all the time, which was proving difficult without the proper amount of sleep. Now that his students were starting to work with actual tools, he couldn't allow himself to be drowsy or distracted.

He was already distracted enough. Running glee club with Rachel was enough of a distraction to last a lifetime, especially when he couldn't stop dreaming about her. They were still pretending nothing had happened, which was proving to be almost impossible for Finn, who had once held onto those memories like they were the only things he had left. But he would suffer through it all for the kids. This was about them now, even if they were still two members short.

His class entered the room, filling the seats noisily as they all bantered back and forth with one another. He waited a few more minutes to start class, when he noticed that two of his students were missing.

The two students who were _always_ missing.

He didn't know what was up with Sam Fletcher and Andy Donovan, but they hadn't shown up to his class at all since the very first day. They were already behind on one of his labs, and they'd both missed some really important lessons already. He wasn't taking it personally, but Auto Shop was an elective class. Why sign up for it if you're not even going to bother showing up? Yeah it was still the first week, but this wasn't the best way to start off the school year.

He continued the class, as per usual, when a loud commotion brought his attention to the halls. People were running towards the lunch room, and some of his students took the liberty of getting up and following the crowds down the halls.

"Hey! Get back here!" He followed his students into the hallway and almost ran right into Rachel, who looked like she was following her students as well. "Rachel! What's going on?" _Be civil, be civil, be civil_. . . sometimes he had to remind himself this while they were pretending that the last decade had never happened.

"I don't know! Some kids were screaming 'fight,' but I couldn't find out anything else before they all started running." The two teachers followed the group of students to the lunch room, where a thick crowd of students were surrounding what appeared to be a fight. Rachel started to hop up and down in her flats, trying to see what was going on. At over six feet, Finn didn't need to jump, he saw _everything_.

Three huge guys, whose letterman jackets indicated that they were on the football team, surrounded Sam Fletcher and circled around her, taunting her about her clothes and how they made her look like a boy. Sure, she wore baggy, nondescript clothing, but it was her own personal choice. Instead of fighting back, she just stood in the middle of them with her arms crossed, trying to make it seem like it wasn't bothering her. They pushed her hard, making her fall into the crowd of students. No one moved to help her.

"All right guys, move it! Back to class!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, in his most authoritative tone, but the crowd was too loud, and only a few students acknowledged him. "Rachel, go get Principal Ryan!" He watched as she ran off to get help for the girl who was being pushed around harshly, as he started to maneuver himself forward in the sea of students. As he got closer to her, he could hear what was being said.

"You like dressing like a boy, huh? What are you, a dyke? Trying to impress the ladies?" Sam was pushed from one boy to the next as the others continued.

"Hey, maybe she _is_ a boy! How about we check? Grab her pants!" The guys all laughed as two boys held her by the shoulders, the ring-leader walking forward, reaching for her waist to pull down her pants. Finn screamed once again for them to let her go, but his voice was lost in the sea of laughter, and he couldn't push through the students fast enough. He watched as the poor girl was about to be humiliated in front of everyone, before the ring leader was unceremoniously punched square in the face by someone he couldn't see. The guy hit the ground hard, and Finn looked up to see who had saved Sam.

Standing in the middle of the circle, was Andy Donovan, wearing his own football jacket and staring at his teammates like they were hair in his food. He pulled Sam out of the grasps of the other boys and pushed her towards Finn, where he had finally broken through to the middle of the crowd. Once the students all realized that a teacher had been in their midsts, they started to scatter.

"No way! You three," he pointed to the footballers, "stay right here and wait for Ryan. Donovan and Fletcher, you get back to class." He watched as his two students walked down the hall in silence and made their way towards the classroom. He stayed and waited until Rachel arrived with Principal Ryan, and he explained to Bryan everything he'd witnessed that morning. The three footballers were given detention, and Finn walked back to his classroom with Rachel at his side. As awkward as things were between them, he was happy she'd been there to get help for him. To say he was worried about his students was an understatement, he genuinely feared for Sam's safety now.

"Thanks for your help, Rachel." As bitter as he felt towards his ex, he was nothing but grateful for her presence this morning. He was shocked when he saw her turn away from him with a small smile on her face.

"Oh! Well, it was no problem, Finn. You and I are both well versed in the cruelty of high school kids, especially jocks and bullies. At least in our day we just got slushied. I couldn't even fathom trying to get pantsed in front of a crowd." She nibbled her lower lip, deep in thought. "Do you think she'll be okay?" Finn turned to his co-director and shrugged.

"I don't know, she seems pretty tough, but it could all be a front. I'll talk to her." They stood outside his classroom awkwardly, unsure of what to do. "Do you want to come in and see her for yourself?"

"Sure." The two teachers entered the room and Finn went to go talk to them in their seats while Rachel looked on from the front of the room. He pulled a chair out and sat in front of the two teenagers, who looked like they were trying very hard to not look at each other.

"So. Spill. What happened this morning, Sam?"

"Nothing, okay? I could have taken care of it by myself." She shot a bitter, withering look at Andy and he scoffed.

"Yeah right. They were about to rip off your pants and show the school your crotch, how would you have handled that?" Finn realized that he was little more than a glorified bystander in this fight and shot Rachel a worried look.

"_My way_. I didn't need you or your chivalry. Those guys were your friends, anyway."

"Those douche-bags are not my friends. You looked like you needed help. Next time I won't be so kind."

"Whatever." They turned away from each other and Finn knew this part of the conversation was over. He couldn't understand why they were being so hostile towards one another. Kids like them shouldn't hate each other! He needed to get them to work as a team.

"Well, whatever happened this morning is over with. The guys got detention. But, that doesn't change the fact that you two have been skipping my class all week." The two students twisted their heads around, shocked that they were getting busted for cutting class. "You're already behind on labs and you missed three days worth of lessons. You two already need extra credit and it's still the first week of school. Not good guys."

Sam's lips turned up in a sneer. "What are you gonna do, give us detention?"

Turning around, he made eye contact with Rachel and gave her a look filled with meaning. She shrugged her shoulders at him, not understanding his intentions, and he turned back to the students with the whisper of a smile on his face. "Well, detention wouldn't give you the grades you need to pass the class. But I have a better idea. . . "

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"I can't believe it!" Rachel was almost bouncing out of her skin, skipping down the hallways towards the choir room. "How you got the class jock and the tomboy to join the _Glee Club_, I'll never know! And I was standing right there!" He had to smile to himself. It had been almost too easy to talk Sam and Andy into joining glee club to offset their missing work, but it had been worth it. The team now had twelve members, and Finn felt oddly accomplished.

They were on their way.

He didn't know why he was following Rachel in the halls, it just happened. Sam and Andy had left the room for their next class, and they both realized they had a free period. They decided to start working on their first number; it needed to be arranged and transposed for all four parts, and Finn was more than a little rusty on his transposing skills. It was easier to pretend around Rachel when they were occupied with glee-related work, so he didn't mind spending the extra time with her during the day. In fact, he didn't really mind spending time with her at all. Wasn't he still supposed to be bitter and angry? The truth was that he still _was_ bitter and angry, but maybe he was just getting too good at this denial thing. The lines were starting to blur, and he felt himself growing attached to her all over again.

That was not good.

She sat at the piano and immediately started to play the opening chords of the song they'd chosen. There was something about music that really calmed him, and soothed a part of him that always felt damaged. He stood over the piano with the sheet music, making little marks on the paper when they changed something around. He had to admit, after all these years, him and Rachel still made a pretty good team.

Who was he kidding, they made the _best_ team. No one worked with him as well as Rachel did, and that was a fact. There was something about her that gave him the drive to be. . . _better_. To want more.

But isn't that what broke them up in the first place?

Shaking the idea out of his head, he focused on the sheet music and the harmonies that Rachel was developing. "Finn, sing this verse with me right here, I need to know if the harmonies blend well." She patted the space next to her and he sat down awkwardly. When was the last time he had been this close to her? Their arms were brushing against one another's and he could smell the expensive perfume she was wearing. He could only stare at the music to distract him from doing something stupid, like kiss her after a decade apart.

She pointed to the lyrics he was supposed to sing, and started to play the piano softly. Their voices filled the room in harmony while they lost themselves in the music.  
_  
__I took my love, I took it down__  
__Climbed a mountain and I turned around__  
__And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills__  
__Till the landslide brought me down__  
__  
__Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?__  
__Can the child within my heart rise above?__  
__Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?__  
__Can I handle the seasons of my life?__  
__Mmm, mmm, mmm__  
__  
__Well, I've been afraid of changing__  
__'Cause I've built my life around you__  
__But time makes you bolder__  
__Even children get older and I'm getting older too_

_I'm getting older too_

They sang the final verse with more meaning then they were supposed to, the lyrics hitting too close to home. Rachel's fingers lingered on the last note while they stared at each other intensely, the tension building steadily between them. Could they handle it? The changes they'd made in the past and the present? The way their lives felt like they were slipping away from them, the way time felt like it was speeding along and leaving them behind? From the way they were looking at each other, they weren't sure if they could.

All he had to do was lean forward and capture her lips in his. That would have been proof that the past ten years had been nothing but a waste, that time had meant nothing after he'd left New York. That he _couldn't_ handle the changes in his life without her, and that pretending wasn't going to do them any good.

But he stayed still, not moving an inch. The tension still swirling around them as their eyes reflected nothing but pain and regret. "I have a lunch date with a friend, I really have to get going." Her calm voice was the only sound in the quiet choir room, and he was snapped out of his trance instantly. He couldn't prevent the frown from forming on his face as he watched her gather her things and leave. "See you at rehearsal." She left the room without another word, looking like the hounds of hell were chasing after her.

He sighed deeply as he let his head fall forward onto the piano keys in a loud, dissident crash.

He was getting too old for this drama.

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Salut mes amis!

For my younger readers, the song from this chapter was "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. Last chapter I used "Living on A Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Minsky loves Classic Rock!

Until Next Time. . . *sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	6. The Good Old Days

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Happy Independence Day American Gleeks! Don't forget to leave Minsky a review, it makes the angels sing!

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Six: The Good Old Days**

Gripping both hands firmly to the wheel, Rachel tried to focus on the road instead of the almost-kiss that had just transpired between her and her ex. Making her way across town from the high school to her lunch date with Tina, it seemed like Finn was the only thing on her mind at all. She was trying to think of what she was going to say to Tina at lunch about Past-Finn, but now she couldn't keep Future-Finn out of her head. Their lips had been inches apart, all she'd had to do was close the distance. . .

And then what? What were they even _doing_? Pretending and playing nice seemed to be only causing more problems for them, she was sure of it. Sometimes she caught herself looking at him the way she used to in high school; like he was invincible and could do no wrong. The way he helped his students out today was so chivalrous, so _Finn_, she could barely keep her eyes off of him all day. There was something about watching him interact with his students that made all of her common rational thoughts fly out of the window.

She was sure it was the job. Watching Finn act as an authoritarian figure and a nurturing teacher was turning her heart to mush as far as Finn Hudson was concerned. It was just so _damn_ easy to pretend around him. To fall back into old patterns. To see Finn as the valiant, gentle knight who always came to the rescue.

But the truth was that Finn_ hadn't_ always been there for the rescue, which was the whole point of today and her date with Tina. After a decade of holding in every emotion, every detail of her past with Finn, she had to unleash it. Finally get it off of her shoulders for good.

She pulled into the parking lot of the mall and made her way to the Breadstix that was by the food court. Casually window shopping, she spotted Tina at the far end of the mall and started waving enthusiastically until Tina spotted her. When Rachel approached her old friend, she realized that the woman wasn't alone.

Sitting upright in a toddler's stroller, was Tina's three year old daughter Abby. Rachel could do nothing but stare at the tiny person who was more involved in her cup full of Cheerios cereal than the older woman who was joining Mommy for lunch.

"Rachel, I'm so glad you could make it!" Tina enveloped her friend in a hug and Rachel found solace in the gesture. But her eyes stayed locked on the gorgeous little girl happily munching away at snacks. Tina noticed Rachel staring and smiled. "This is my Abby. Abby, say hello to Mommy's friend, Rachel." The young girl looked up and Rachel could feel tears welling up in her eyes. This baby was beautiful; she had her mother's prominent asian features, but her almond shaped eyes were covered by a child's pair of glasses, thick and pink. Abby must have inherited Artie's poor vision, but the small glasses made the cherubic face look even more precious.

The child looked up at Rachel with some Cheerios falling out of her hand and waved. "Hello pretty lady!" Was all she said and then went back to eating her food.

Deep down, somewhere in Rachel's chest, her heart started to pound painfully. Aching, she placed one hand over her chest, thinking it would stop her heart from beating so hard. She had to hold back tears as she quietly said, "Hello Abby," the pain thick in her voice. Tina started to apologize about bringing her, citing the lack of babysitters because Artie had to sit through a conference call, but Rachel was barely paying attention. All her focus was still on little Abby, and her mind started to wander when they entered the restaurant and waited to be seated.

She couldn't keep her eyes off of Abby, who was too preoccupied with snacks and toys to care about her mother and her friend. With another painful thud of her heart, she realized that she was jealous of Tina. She had the perfect husband, the perfect family. Wait, jealousy wasn't the right word. Jealousy had a negative connotation that Rachel didn't feel. No, this was more like envy. _Longing_. If things had gone differently in the past, maybe _she_ would have had her own Abby by now. A little girl or boy who would love her unconditionally, whom she could cherish forever with the man she loved. With another painful throb of her heart, she realized that if she and Finn had stayed together all these years, they could have maybe had their own children by now.

The simple thought was enough to remind her of why she was here in the first place, and she turned to her friend with an ancient pain set deep into her eyes when they were finally seated.

"Finally! I've been waiting all week to see you again, your story on Monday really threw me off."

"Well, try working with the man who you used to adore and now blame for everything that's wrong in your life."

"Wait, you _work_ with Finn?" The horror was clear in her tone.

Sighing dramatically, she nodded her head. "We replaced Mr. Schuester as the new coaches of the glee club." The look on Tina's face was a strange mix of shock and horror, and it took a few minutes for her to absorb the information completely. With a firm nod of her head, Tina readied herself for the story.

"So, Rachel. Tell me first about New York. The last time I saw you two, you were crazy in love and moving away together. What was it like?"

She took a deep, steadying breath, and tried to gather her thoughts. It had been ten years since they'd broken up, but they'd still spent almost two whole years together in domestic bliss before any of the drama in their relationship had happened. "To tell you the truth Tina, it was perfect. The first, oh, I'd say year-and-a-half, was nothing but pure bliss. It was everything we had dreamed about and more. It was only him, me and the city of Manhattan. It was magical." She sighed deeply, losing herself in the cherished memories of the beginning of their lives in New York. "We lived in this crappy apartment with a four floor walk-up and no A/C. That first summer had been brutal, but we made up for it by exploring every inch of the city. We would ride the trains from one end of Brooklyn to the Bronx and back, switching trains but never leaving the stations. We would ride around all the boroughs for the price of one ride and then get off and explore wherever we would end up." She was getting lost in the nostalgia of her youth when Tina interrupted her.

"What did you guys do for money?" Sitting up straight, she looked away from Tina shyly, knowing that money had been a soft spot for them in the past.

"I had my dads give me my college money in monthly payments, which basically covered just the rent. We were on a budget, but who cared about that stuff at the age of seventeen and eighteen? I was running around trying to audition, and I guess I just didn't realize it early enough that Finn was having his own problems with finding a job. . ."

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It felt like the sweat was dripping down her back as she climbed up the four flights of stairs to their cramped little apartment. One bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchen/living room combo was all they had to their names, but it was _theirs_. And when she entered that little apartment, her Finn would be waiting for her.

Opening the door, she noticed him sitting on their floor, an X-Box controller in his hands and a bag of chips sitting next to him. Immediately, he paused the game and stood up, gathering her into his arms for a welcome home kiss. "Hey baby! How was the audition?" Groaning into his arms, she shook her head into his broad chest.

"I don't think I got it. I don't know what people expect me to do about the facial features I was born with, but if one more person suggests rhinoplasty I will _flip out_." She had only been auditioning for three months but she was sure she'd heard almost every insult and dismissal imaginable. If they didn't have a problem with her nose, it was her height. Or her voice. Or her body type. She was beginning to realize how hard it truly was to make it into the business, and her self-esteem was starting to suffer.

Until she heard Finn's firm scoff. "They're all insane, Rach. Insane or blind. Not only are you ridiculously beautiful, but you have the most amazing voice that I have ever heard. One day, you're going to prove them all wrong. And you and I will be laughing all the way to the bank!" His encouraging words brought a smile to her face and the doubt that had been creeping into her thoughts was instantly erased. As long as she had Finn with her, she knew she would be able to do anything. He was her support, and as ambitious as she was, she knew deep inside that his encouragement was what kept her motivated and optimistic. He kissed the top of her head and all of her fears were assuaged. She had her man, she had her dreams, and even though she was in a bit of a slump as far as auditions went, this was the life she had always imagined for herself.

"Speaking of banks, have you found a job yet?" Finn had been having troubles finding a job around the city without any experience or education, and was sticking to menial jobs to get by. She could tell by the way his arms went limp around her that the search had been unsuccessful yet again.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. Every place I go to has a minimum of two years experience, but how can I get experience if no one will hire me? This sucks, the only place that was interested in hiring me was an auto shop place in Brooklyn. If I'd wanted to fix cars for the rest of my life I would have just stayed in Lima." He pulled away from her, retreating to the couch and plopping down onto it with a huge sigh. "I just feel like I'm still a loser, even though I'm in Manhattan instead of Ohio." Determined, she sat next to her man and placed her hands on her hips in a classic pose. He was the one who'd encouraged her, so she would be the one to help encourage him.

"Finn Hudson, how many times do I have to tell you that you're not a loser!" Looking away from her, she could see how he was avoiding eye contact. He was such a big baby sometimes. "Look at me." She commanded, and his head turned around to expose a heartbreaking pout. "Would I love a loser? I, Rachel Berry, future broadway star, have much better taste than that." Smiling serenely, she grabbed him by the t-shirt, placing a soft kiss on his lips to ease the tension away. "I think you should take the Auto Shop job. You have plenty of experience, and it's a good jump-off point for you. Then once we have some money saved up, you can start looking for better work." He shrugged his shoulders sullenly, not answering her. "Listen, Finn. As long as you still have ambitions and hopes, you'll never be a loser. We got out of Lima, now we have to take it to the next level! You can't give up. We're in this together, remember?"

At this, a smile finally graced his features, the half-crooked grin sending her stomach into somersaults. "Finn and Rachel against the world."

"That's correct!" She placed a playful kis on his nose and when she went to get off the couch, he pulled her onto his lap, making her straddle his crotch as he grinded against her playfully. "Silly! I have to take a shower! My shirt is practically stuck on me!" Chuckling softly, she recognized that wicked smirk.

"Well then I guess I'll just have to join you." Her laughter echoed throughout the tiny apartment as he carried her into the bathroom, shutting the door with a slam.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"I don't know, Rachel. It seems to me like you and Finn had it all. I don't understand what happened." She shook her head sadly. It was hard for her to pinpoint when it had all gone wrong as well. It had definitely been the last three months. Yeah, those last three months had been hell.

"I don't know Tina. I think we were happier when we were still struggling then when I had finally started working. Sometimes, I still stay up at night, thinking about all the things we did wrong. Maybe I _should_ have gone to college. Maybe Finn _shouldn't _have followed me right away. Maybe I should never have taken _that part_. But either way, we still wound up hating each other." Her heart was clenching painfully in her chest, thinking about how the good times had gone sour.

"What happened, Rachel?" Tina looked almost scared to find out.

"It was the Fall, during the last year we were together. Finn was still working the Auto Parts job and I was starting to get actual roles. Sure, they were for shows that were so off-Broadway I was performing in warehouses and abandoned churches, but they were paying jobs. Things I could put on my resume. Shows I had gained experience from. And Finn was so _freaking_ happy for me. He would go out of his way to show up to every single show. Even when I performed matinées on Wednesdays, he would leave his shop and drive out to wherever I was performing, without question. He would tell people that he was my biggest fan, and make a big deal out of having me sign his program after every performance. He saved every single one of them too. He said he was saving them for when I was famous so he could sell them on Ebay." She and Tina shared a light chuckle, before Rachel continued.

"But then, I started to get cast in shows. Real _Broadway_ shows. Still, Finn was ecstatic. He seemed happier than I was that I was starting to really become recognized for my talents." Taking a deep breath, she knew this next part was going to be painful. "And then, I ran into someone I knew in New York."

Tina looked downright frightened. "Who?"

Rachel had to look away from Tina in that moment, she was so ashamed. Instead, her eyes had fallen on baby Abby, who was now napping peacefully in her stroller. The name escaped her lips, full of bitterness and hate. "Jesse St. James."

"No!" Tina gasped so loudly that Rachel was afraid that she would wake up her daughter. But Abby seemed oblivious and kept on napping while Rachel searched for a way to explain. "Did you cheat on Finn with Jesse?"

"No!" It was her turn to gasp loudly at the accusation that she'd cheated on Finn with her other ex-boyfriend. Again, Abby didn't stir. "I didn't cheat on Finn, but I should have known that Jesse was going to cause problems. And I think that's where it all started."

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The front door of their apartment slammed behind Finn as they entered their small space already in the middle of a fight. "I don't see how this is such a big deal! This is the biggest opportunity of my career, I can't just turn it down!"

"Rachel, this might be the only time I ever say this, but right now, I don't care about your career. I care about the fact that they want to cast you opposite of the guy who humiliated both you and me time and time again!"

"Baby, do you realize that I could get a Tony nod for this role? They're reviving this show specifically for Jesse in mind, and he was the one who'd requested me for the role in the first place! I didn't even know he was in New York until I was contacted by the casting director for the audition." She was begging for him to understand, to recognize that this could be the role that changed _everything_. This could be what made her a star.

"I don't trust him, Rachel, and I don't care that he picked you for the role either. I don't want you to take that part."

She could barely believe what she was hearing. "How could you be so selfish!"

"How could you be so blind and trustworthy? He fucked us over once, Rachel. Your career is too important to leave in the hands of Jesse St. James!" He looked like he wanted to punch something, his fists were clenched tightly and he was pacing around the small room. "It's supposed to be _Finn and Rachel_ against the world, not Finn, Rachel _and Jesse_."

"But Finn, you don't understand, I could _use_ him." She smirked at his confused expression and tried to elaborate. "Jesse's career is already established. I can use him and his influence in the business to rise up the ranks. He could get me everything I ever wanted, and then you and I will be set for life." She reached forward, grabbing his hand and trying to calm him down. He looked like a wound-up coil, ready to snap at any moment. "All I need is a good review for this show and I am good for life. My career will be established, and then I wont need Jesse anymore. Trust me, Finn. I know what I'm doing."

He grabbed onto her in that instant, crushing her to his chest and holding on for dear life. "I might trust you Rachel, but I don't trust him. Please, _please_, be careful. He could ruin _everything_." The fear was visible in the look in his eyes and she placed one hand on his cheek to console him.

"I won't let Jesse ruin a thing, Finn. Everything is going to be perfect."

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"Let me guess, it wasn't perfect?" Tina's eyes were full of sympathy as Rachel took a long sip of her iced tea.

"Far from it. Things between us just got worse and worse until we had this blow-out fight that ruined everything."

"What happened?" As much as Rachel wanted to elaborate and let Tina know the details, she knew she was running out of time. She had to be back at school soon for her classes, and there was a glee rehearsal with Finn that afternoon. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to function properly around him if she brought up any more bitter memories, so she shook her head, and frowned in apology.

"I'm sorry, Tina. I can't really get into that right now. I have to get back to school." The other woman nodded in understanding, and Rachel gathered her things. "All I can say is that we said things to each other we will never be able to take back. He left me in New York and came back to Lima. Pretty much end of story." That definitely _wasn't_ the end of the story, but she couldn't get into the fight, the pain was still too raw. Trying to fake a smile for her friends benefit, she plowed on. "And now I have to go rehearse with him! Lucky me right?" Tina shared a sympathetic smile as they paid the check.

"So will you make it to my baby shower tomorrow?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it. I'll swing by after glee rehearsal tomorrow."

"Maybe we can talk some more?"

Smiling softly at her old friend, she hadn't felt this at ease in years. It had been both therapeutic and emotional to talk about her times with Finn in New York, but it gave her a certain perspective she hadn't had before. It felt like her heart didn't ache so much anymore, like the pain wasn't as ancient and overbearing. "Sure I would like that."

"See you tomorrow, Rachel." The women embraced once more and Rachel watched as Tina pushed Abby away in her stroller until they were tiny specks in the far end of the mall. Trying desperately to squash the feelings of longing, she turned around to head back to school, with memories of the past echoing in her head.

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Sitting in the far corner of the room, she let her head droop forward as Finn pretty much conducted the entire rehearsal by himself. She let Brad play the accompaniment while Finn worked on the harmonies with the kids. At the moment, she felt like she couldn't even be bothered to care. Ever since she had spoken to Tina, she couldn't get the old memories of Finn out of her mind. Those serene and peaceful days when they were still young and in love. The moments they'd shared when they thought their lives would be perfect and magical forever.

She should have held on to those moments for dear life. Now they were all gone. Lost in the passage of time, her hazy memories were the only proof that they had ever happened.

With a painful lurch of her heart, she realized the truth she'd been denying herself for almost ten whole years.

She wanted those blissful times _back_. She had never been as happy as when she was with Finn, and she doubted she would ever be that happy again.

The kids were enthusiastic today. Now that they had a full twelve members they were planning out songs for them to start rehearsing. They had 'Landslide' all arranged and ready, but they needed more choices, and wanted their student's input. Right now, Finn was going around the room, asking kids to list songs that featured people's names in the title, and what the song meant. That was their lesson for the week, a page taken from the Book-Of-Schuester. However, she was barely paying attention to the kids, and more attention to the way Finn's buttoned down shirt accentuated his biceps. She wondered if his abs were still as toned as when he was 20. . .

Finn's voice snapped her out of the daydreams of her ex-boyfriend's body. "Yes, Amanda." The tall blonde who had originally called them out for their inappropriate behavior on the first day suggested a song.

"How about, "If You Seek Amy" By Britney Spears?" Finn shot it down. "But it has a girl's name in it!"

"Say the "If you Seek Amy" part five times fast and let me know if you still think it's appropriate. Next!"

Mitchell, the emo kid with the floppy bangs, raised his hand. "How about 'Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down'?"

Finn nodded his head, but Rachel wasn't too sure about this kid. "That sounds like a nice song. Who is Stella, and why is she down?"

Mitchell smirked and Rachel realized that Finn should have seen this coming. "_Stella_ is a prostitute and she's always giving head."

"_INAPPROPRIATE!_" Rachel screamed her trademark line she only saved for Mitchell from her corner and had to stifle a laugh at Finn's incredulous look.

"Mitchell, you have got to stop requesting those kinds of songs."

"But thats what makes them awesome!"

"Next!" Rachel was surprised when their newest member, Andy Donovan, raised his hand. "How about "Oh Sherrie" by Steve Perry, the lead singer of Journey? It's about a man who knows he's not good enough for this girl, that she would be better off without him. But he knows their love will hold on, even though they shouldn't really be together." Andy blushed when he realized that everyone was staring at him with varied looks of awe and respect. Finn clapped his hands and brought all the attention back to the front of the room.

"That sounds like a great song choice, Andy. Good job. I think we're gonna end rehearsal here today, and we can start working on 'Landslide' tomorrow. Good job, guys." Rachel had to admit that Finn really had a way with his students. He was so charming and approachable.

She must have gotten lost in another one of her daydreams because she realized that Finn was currently hovering over her in the corner, staring at her like she was crazy. She straightened herself out and stood up, trying to reach her full height in her tiny flats. Trying to maneuver herself around his tall, broad body, she realized that he wasn't moving.

He had her cornered. Literally.

"Are you okay today, Rachel? You seem a little distracted."

That was the understatement of the decade. "Um, yeah. I had a lunch date with an old friend today and I've been lost in memories of the good old days all afternoon." Pouring as much nonchalance as she could into her tone, she watched as he looked her over suspiciously.

"What old friend?" She should have known he'd ask; any old friend of hers in this town would have known him as well.

"Tina." She stared as his eyebrows escaped into his forehead in shock.

"Tina Cohen-Chang?"

Nodding softly, she found the ceiling to be quite interesting at the moment. "Tina Abrams, actually."

His incredulous look was almost funny. "Artie and Tina got married!"

"Yeah. They're expecting their second child together. I met little Abby today and the baby shower for their second child is tomorrow night." Sneaking a glance at him, his face was set in an expression of pure turmoil. She couldn't tell if he was shocked, sad or scared.

"Wow." His voice was strained when he choked out the single syllable.

"I know."

They stood there in awkward silence for what felt like a lifetime. They kept sneaking glances at each other while each of them were lost in their thoughts. She wondered if he was thinking what she was thinking. That if they had stayed together all those years,_ they_ would be the ones expecting their second child, happily married. By the way his brow was creased and the sullen frown that was on his face, she was almost positive they were on the same depressing wavelength.

"That's great. Good for them." The enthusiasm just wasn't there, and Rachel could almost feel the regret and sadness radiating from him in the small corner. In that instant, they made eye contact, and she could see the hidden pain swirling in the depths of his chestnut eyes.

Oh yeah, he was definitely hurting.

"Yeah, it was an interesting afternoon. I think I just need a good night's sleep." Only God knew what her subconscious would assail her with tonight after her traumatic trip down memory lane, but she was aching to escape his proximity. There was still something about Finn Hudson that turned her world upside down, even after ten years of denial and bitterness.

"Yeah. I haven't been sleeping well lately, either." Their eyes were still locked together, and instead of backing away from her and giving her the space to escape, he moved closer to her, inch by inch until their bodies were almost touching. Her pulse started to race as she felt pure adrenaline enter her system. The look they shared was so conflicted, so full of emotions that they just couldn't voice. It was Finn who broke the silence first, his words cutting through the tension like a machete. "That could have been us."

She didn't need any elaboration, she knew exactly what he'd meant. The picturesque life that Tina and Artie had. . . it could have been _theirs_.

"I know." Tears filling her eyes, she could barely choke out the words through the thick emotion clogging her throat. One hot, fat, agonizing tear fell down her cheek and Finn caught it with his finger before it dripped off of her face. She stared at him in awe while he used his thumb to brush the remaining moisture away a tender look entering his eyes.

"I wish it was us."

As those simple words crashed around her, it felt like her heart was being squeezed in a vice. As emotional as her day had been, she couldn't take any more regret, any more longing or sadness. It was bad enough she already felt like a failure in life: no husband, no kids, no accomplishments. She didn't need the pain of wondering how perfect her life could have been with Finn. Hindsight only helped so much.

"Well Finn, you and I both know why things fell apart. The past is the past." She tried to move past him and almost succeeded, but at the last second he grabbed onto her arm, keeping her there, locked in his gaze.

"I would do it all over again if I could. You know? Go back and do it all differently."

The tears filled her eyes again, but this time she wouldn't allow Finn to wipe them away. "Me too, Finn." She squeezed his hand and he let go. "But it's only wishful thinking." They shared a small, sad smile and Rachel practically ran for her life to get to her car. On the way home she picked up a case of bottled water and cracked one open before she even got home.

She was already thirsty as hell, and she was sure it was going to be a long night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Ah the tension is delicious! Next chapter we hear Finn's side of the story!

Until Next Time. ..*sings* Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	7. The Decline

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: The pieces are finally coming together people! This chapter took me so long to write, I hope it came out well. Reviews would be wonderful.

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Seven: The Decline**

_Shit! Shit shit shit!_ He cursed wildly to himself, slamming his hands down on the beat-up steering wheel of his car as he stared down the worst traffic he had ever seen in his life. It was bad enough that he was already running late; if this took any longer, he would miss the beginning of the show. Driving like a maniac, he realized that living in New York was turning him into one of those clichéd crazy drivers you see on TV. He was cursing, flipping the bird, and changing lanes like a madman.

But he had damn good reason.

It was his star's opening night.

His rented tux, which he had rented specifically for the occasion, was hanging up in the backseat in it's protective cover, and he wondered idly if he would even have tine to change into it. Using his rear-view mirror as a vanity, he appraised his appearance. His hair was all over the place from a day of manual exertion, his hands were almost pitch black from all the oil and grease he'd worked with, and even his face had grease streaking from his cheek to his ear.

But he didn't care. It didn't matter if he showed up butt naked, he was going to be there for Rachel on the opening night of her new show.

Even if her costar_ was_ Jesse St. Jerk-Off.

Time ticked away as he hit even more traffic in the tunnel, and he started to panic when he realized how late it truly was. He had his ticket already, Rachel had saved him a seat in the front row, but he wanted to look as dashing as possible for his star. She said this show was going to change things, and he was hoping she was right. Things had been difficult for them ever since she had started rehearsing for the show. She was always exhausted, it seemed; worn out from the dancing and the long rehearsals to do anything fun and adventurous with him. She was also under a ton of pressure; the whole show was riding on her and Jesse, and they all had a feeling that this show was going to be what broke her into the business. But even if some of that pressure and stress had inadvertently seeped into their relationship, he wasn't going to let that ruin tonight. It was too important.

After tonight, things were going to change. Things were gonna get better again.

He finally made it to Manhattan, cursing the parking around Broadway and finally shelling out the 20 bucks to park it in a garage not far from the theater. His watch said it was already almost 8 pm, so he left his tux in the backseat, but instead grabbed the bouquet of roses that he'd been able to grab before leaving Brooklyn. He had his ticket, he had his flowers, and he ran from the parking garage to the theater, arriving just before they closed the lobby doors. The ushers gave him strange looks as he entered the theater with his face flushed and his hands almost shaking from adrenaline. But he was finally seated, in the front row, and could do nothing but wait until he saw his star on stage.

The lights went dark not even two minutes after he was seated. He was so excited for her; he could even picture her backstage, getting ready for her opening night. She must be so nervous! At the moment, he wished he could see her backstage so he could wish her good luck, but deep down he knew she didn't need it. This was what she'd been born to do.

When the orchestra started to stir, playing the introductory music as the stage lights came to life, Finn had to hold his breath to stop himself from screaming like a girl when Rachel came onto the stage. There she was. _His star_. He had seen every single show she had ever been in, but she had never looked so beautiful, so professional, as she did in that very moment. From the second she'd opened her mouth, he sat in rapt attention, mouthing the lines he'd helped her memorize as she said them on stage. She didn't miss a single syllable.

During her songs, he had to sit on his hands, clenched into fists, and bite his lip in order to stop himself from sobbing like a baby. Hearing her voice, echoing around the theater and filling it with the sound that had been in his heart for almost four whole years was so _overwhelming_. This was everything they'd been talking about for years. This was what all of their fantasies and dreams were made of. Somewhere along the way, her dreams of stardom had become his dream for her as well.

And now all of their dreams were coming true.

It didn't even matter to him that she had scenes with St. Jackass, and had to kiss him towards the end of the show. Acting was acting; it really didn't bother him at all. He wasn't going to let a tiny kiss from St. Jizz shake him up, she'd kissed other actors in other shows before.

After every one of her songs he leaped to his feet in applause, clapping like a fool for her. She was so perfect tonight, in every way, and all those weeks of exhaustion and stress and tension finally seemed worth it now. When the show ended, and they all took their bows, he watched with tears in his eyes as she received a standing ovation, the theater filling with screams as the crowd stood on their feet.

Finn had never felt happier than in that one moment.

The crowd started to thin. Rachel had asked him to meet her by the backstage doors so they could go out to the after-party together, so he grabbed his flowers and the playbill that she still had to sign for his collection, and made his way back towards the stage doors. He had to push by some people to get through, but he worked his way around the theater until he was in the backstage area.

He stood there, holding his flowers and anticipating the look on Rachel's face when they were reunited, when they could talk about the show and how wonderful she was. Heart pounding, he felt like the flowers would slip out of his hands with how sweaty his palms were. It was only when he wiped his palms on his pants that he remembered he was still in his greasy dirty clothes from work. In a panic, he hoped she wouldn't mind.

He saw her in the distance, exiting her dressing room and walking towards the stage doors where he was waiting with a pair of sunglasses on her face. He called out her name, but it didn't seem like his voice carried too far, because she still hadn't spotted him. Before she made it halfway down the hall, she was pulled aside by people wanting to interview her. He watched her with a fond smile as she politely answered questions for the press, people snapping cameras in her face. He started to walk forward into the backstage area with his flowers, when a large security guard pushed him back. "I'm sorry, sir. You can't be back here."

Rubbing the back of his neck shyly, he tried to explain to the guard. "Oh, you don't understand, I'm with Rachel Berry." The tall, broad man gave him a good once over and laughed right in his face.

"Yeah right, and Barbra Streisand is my Grandmother." The man tried to push him away again but Finn stood his ground.

"No man, I'm serious. She's my girlfriend." Sneering openly now, the guard gave Finn a rough push out of the stage-door, shoving him outside where the other fans were waiting to have autographs signed.

"Well, I'm serious too, _man_. Keep your crazy stalker ass away from this door. As if a star like Rachel Berry would fall for a greasy bum like you." Before Finn could defend himself for being called a bum, the security guard slammed the door right in his face, locking him outside with the other fans. He let the bouquet of roses droop in his hand, his self-esteem shattered. He should have found the time to change into his tux before the show. Now he felt like a dirty, greasy loser.

"Hey, dude! Get behind the ropes and wait like everyone else!" The fans who were waiting to get autographs yelled at him to move, and he dejectedly pushed through them to wait for Rachel. They still had to go to the after-party, at least he could change into his tux for that.

The backstage doors opened and Rachel came out with Jesse, the crowd erupting into huge screams as they tried to sign everything in their reach. He called out to her time and time again, but she never looked up at him once. His voice was blending into the screams from the fans and with her sunglasses still on at 10 pm, she looked right over him as she scanned the crowd. When he tried to follow her and Jesse to the black town-car that had pulled up, the same large security guard pushed him away, with even more force than the last time. He lost his balance and landed on his butt on the rock-hard concrete, a spasm of pain shooting up his spine.

"Listen here, punk. If I see you trying to get close to Ms. Berry again you'll be banned from this theater for life. _Leave her alone_." He watched, anguished, as Rachel and Jesse piled into the towncar without him and left him at the theater, all alone. Never before in his life had he felt so insignificant, so unimportant.

He felt like such a _loser_.

And he'd been left behind.

Picking himself off of the thick Manhattan pavement, he had to suffer through the looks from the other fans- like he was some crazy Rachel Berry-stalker when she was really and truly the love of his life. Apparently all these decent theater-going people thought she was too good for him too. He dragged himself back to the car, the roses hanging limply from his hands. He would have changed and followed them to the after-party, but she had both the invitations and the directions. He tried to call her cell phone and it went directly to voice-mail. So instead he drove back to their apartment, threw her flowers in the sink, and buried himself in their bed.

He felt humiliated. More than humiliated, even, he felt like he wasn't even good enough for Rachel anymore. This entire time, he'd been supporting her and wishing alongside her that all of her dreams would come true. Now that they were, where did that leave him? Since the very beginning, his only real, solid, dream was Rachel. To be with her, to run away with her. To live out their dreams together. Everything was so in control, so perfect before she had started this show. Now he felt like everything was slipping out of his grasp. She had everything she'd ever wanted, but what did he have to offer her? He didn't have any money, and he didn't have any connections. He was still just _that guy_, that small town kid, no matter where he lived.

He might have been able to escape Lima, but he could never escape being a loser.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Dude, wake the fuck up!" Someone slapped him on the back of his head and he sat up quickly, almost spilling the pint of beer he'd been nursing for the past half an hour all over himself. Did he really fall asleep sitting at the bar? He _really_ needed to get out more.

He looked up at the man who had unceremoniously woken him up and sneered into the eyes of his oldest friend, Noah Puckerman, who was currently wiping down clean mugs and putting them away. He was now the part-owner of the oldest, most run-down bar in Lima, Shakey's. It was also the most popular, seeing as it was one of the only bars in town. Puck had been working here since he was 21, and ever since the original owner had a heart attack a few years ago, Puck pretty much ran it by himself now. Finn came here every Friday and Saturday night, not just to see his friend, but to escape into his drink and forget about why his life was so shitty lately.

"Dude, what is up with you? I'm used to you being pathetic, but this is just plain depressing." Puck smirked at him from across the bar but Finn was in no mood for playing. He had shit he needed to get off of his chest.

"Rachel Berry is what's up with me." He said simply as he tipped the beer down his throat.

"Well, I would help you, but seeing as I don't even know what happened between you two _ten years ago_ I don't know if I could do anything." Pouring as much sarcasm as he could into his voice, Finn winced sharply at his tone. Finn had never told Puck a thing about what had happened with Rachel, and he'd never even planned on it. Puck wasn't the most sympathetic or empathetic of friends, and he wasn't even sure if the guy had cared all that much. But now that she was back in town and he was filled with liquid courage, he was sure it would be easier to get the load off of his shoulders.

"She's back in town, douche. I work with her now at the school." Puck stopped cleaning the glasses and looked at his friend with both incredulity and sympathy in his gaze.

"Well, no shit."

"Yes, shit." Sighing deeply, he brought the mug to his lips and finished off the beer, passing it back to Puck for a refill. He was going to need all the courage he could get. "We are co-directing the glee club together. You think maybe I was, like, an evil douche in a past life or something? I don't know what I did to deserve this." It had only been five days since she'd started teaching with him, but it felt like every day was longer and more torturous than the last.

"Listen bro, do you want me to be honest with you or not? Tell me what the fuck happened between you two and then I'll tell you whether or not you deserve anything."

He shrugged his shoulders, trying to make it look like it wasn't bothering him when it had been, in fact, eating away at for the better part of a decade. "I should have known that she was better than me, man. I should have realized it before we'd even left Ohio. There was no way I was ever going to keep up with her, but I held on until there was nothing left. It was like this steady decline in our relationship that nothing could fix." He took a long pause, drinking deeply from his drink before continuing. "I asked her to marry me."

A loud clang filled the bar as Puck dropped the mug he was wiping down on the hard wood of the bar. "No effin' way."

"I thought I was losing her, you know? She was getting so popular, so famous, that I could feel her slipping away from me. The more she performed, the less I saw her, and then the times we did see each other we fought about how little time we were spending together. It was like this cycle we couldn't get out of. Then one day I got desperate."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The tiny buzzing alarm next to their bed woke Finn up at the not-so-early hour of ten, filling the room with an annoying screech before Finn slammed his hand down onto the button, stopping the noise from disturbing his sleeping girlfriend. She had been out late again last night, at another one of her fancy parties that he was never invited to. He tried not to let it bother him, but he had been seeing so little of Rachel lately it was starting to cause major problems in their relationship. So instead of sneaking out of bed quietly to get ready for work, he snuggled closer to his girlfriend, his star, and tried to wake her up.

"MMM, Finn, baby, I'm tired." The sleep was thick in her voice but he wasn't going to let it stop him, he wanted some time with his girl.

"I know but we've barely seen each other for days and we've been fighting so much. I just want a minute with you." He could see the smile stretching across her face even though her eyes weren't open. She turned around in bed and Finn laid the first kiss on her lips in, well, days. He'd forgotten how much he'd missed this. Ever since her show opened a few months ago she was always at rehearsals, press conferences, after-parties and other social functions she allowed Jesse to drag her to. She was having the time of her life, while Finn was sitting home alone with his video games missing his girlfriend like crazy.

"I'm sorry we've been fighting so much." She said in-between kisses. "You should have told me why you'd stopped coming to my shows sooner. I had that Security Guard fired, you can come whenever you want now." Finn shook his head into her skin, unwilling to talk to her about the fiasco of her opening night and the mega fight that had come afterwards. The fact that he'd stopped coming to her shows was a huge issue they'd been having. "I'll tell you what. Tonight I don't have any plans for an after-party or art gallery opening, at all. So when you come home from work we can have a night of just you and me. I promise."

Detaching his lips from her skin, he pulled back incredulously. "Are you serious?" They hadn't had a night alone together in months! "But I'm working a late shift tonight."

"It's okay. I can make dinner for us and we can stretch out on the couch and watch old movies like we used to do when we moved in." Her voice was still groggy, but he could hear the affection and the promise in her tone, so he got out of bed and started to get dressed. Placing a soft kiss on his girlfriends cheek, he slipped out of their bedroom and made his way into Brooklyn for work.

All throughout the day the only thing on his mind was Rachel. He'd been missing her so much lately that her absence had caused him to start thinking and re-evaluating his goals and dreams. Rachel's dreams had always been solid and consistent: she'd had a specific goal that she was working towards and right now she was succeeding. Finn's dreams had always been less ambitious: get out of Lima, follow Rachel to New York. He'd never given himself the chance to dream bigger than that. His goals had always been simple, and even though he'd both followed Rachel to New York and escaped Lima, he still felt like he hadn't accomplished anything.

Well after tonight, things were going to change.

He'd realized something about him and Rachel in the past few weeks. Rachel had always been his star. Since the very beginning, he was, and always will be, her greatest fan. He'd been hoping alongside of her that she would make it in the business, but he'd never thought about the fact that once she became famous, he would have to share her with the public and her adoring fans.

That was the problem he was having right now. He didn't _want_ to share Rachel. Rachel was _his_ dream, and she'd been his dream for years. Why should he have to share her with anyone? She'd been taking Jesse out to these events as her date instead of him lately, which pissed him off to no end. Now, she'd said the reason was because he didn't own a suit, which was true, but it still bothered him that he couldn't even escort her to her fancy parties. All it did was reinforce the feeling that he wasn't good enough for her.

As the day passed slowly in front of him, all he could think about was how he could make Rachel understand his problems. They'd been fighting so much because all he wanted was his Rachel back, and it seemed like she was too busy for him now that all of her dreams had come true. Well what about his dreams? Didn't she care about his goals at all?

So tonight, when they had their quiet evening alone with just the two of them, he was going to do it. He was going to make all of _his_ dreams come true. By asking Rachel to marry him, he would make her his wife forever. He would never have to share her with anyone ever again because she would be _his_. His dream. His life.

He didn't have money. He didn't have expensive things and he couldn't even offer her a ring, but he had his heart and his love, and he needed to know if it was enough.

It felt like he'd worked the longest shift ever when he finally made it back to Manhattan from Brooklyn. He was so exhausted and hungry, he couldn't wait to eat the dinner that Rachel was making them. Dragging himself up the four flights of stairs, he entered their apartment expecting to see Rachel in the kitchen with her pajamas on.

What he didn't expect to see was Jesse St. James, dressed to the nines and standing patiently in his living room.

"Hello, Finn." Jesse greeted him cordially with a smile, but Finn just nodded at the sharply dressed man standing in his apartment. "Rachel is in your bedroom if you need her." Finn stormed passed the Broadway actor and burst into his bedroom, a furious look on his face. He entered the room only to find Rachel standing in front of the vanity in one of her best dresses, clipping on earrings and fixing her appearance.

"Rachel, what the hell is going on?"

She hadn't even noticed him, and gave him a small smile as she continued to check herself out. "Oh, hello honey! How was work?"

"How was work? Work was torture because I spent all day thinking I was going to have a quiet night alone with my girlfriend! What's going on? You're going out again?"

She turned to him, a sympathetic look on her face. "Oh, honey. I know, Jesse invited me last minute and I couldn't turn it down, this event is really important. Tons of people from the industry are going to be there and it's going to be a great place for me to network. But I ordered you your favorite noodles from Happy China Kitchen."

He burned with anger. He didn't want his favorite noodles from Happy China Kitchen. He wanted Rachel to give a shit about their relationship for _one fucking night_ and prove that she cared more about him than her career. He wanted his star back. He didn't want to share her anymore.

"I don't want you to go." His voice was low and quiet but he knew she'd heard him form the way she'd stopped applying her lipstick.

"What?"

"Rachel, you_ promised _me that we would have this one night together. After everything we've been going through I thought it would matter to you." He let the desperation seep into his tone and he didn't care if he sounded like a wimp.

"It does!"

"So prove it! I want you to stay home. With me. Jesse can go by himself."

"No way! This event is too important for my career."

"Rachel, I moved here, all the way from Ohio to be with you. I sat alongside of you, waiting and praying that all your dreams would come true. But what about my dreams? When are they going to come true?"

"You got out of Lima, Finn. That's all you ever wanted!"

"No. That's all you thought I ever wanted! I want _you_, and I don't want to share you anymore." He took a deep breath and moved close to her. He had no ring, he had no money, but he had his love, and he hoped it was enough. "Rachel, I want us to get _married_. I know we're still young, but I want to know that I made the right choice in following you here. I want to know that there's something to you that's more important than your career." She stared up at him with an unreadable expression on her face that was making his stomach roll around in circles. She backed away from him slowly, shaking her head as she grabbed her things off the vanity.

"Finn, you know that I love you, but I just can't do this right now. I have to go." Time slowed to a crawl as he felt like he'd been punched in the gut with brass knuckles. Did she. . ? Did she just. . .?

Did she just turn down his proposal?

He didn't say another word as she gathered her things and slipped on her high heels. She looked so glamorous and beautiful, but it felt like she had just stepped on his heart with her pointy shoes. "We can talk about this more when I come home tonight." She placed a tiny peck on his cheek and joined Jesse in the living room. They closed the door behind them softly as Finn stood like a statue in his bedroom, still reeling from his botched proposal.

He guessed his love really wasn't enough.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So what, you left before she came home or something?"

"No, we had one more fight later that night. I was so insanely mad that I followed her to the event and caused this giant scene. It was, seriously, the fight to end all fights. After that, I came home and left her in New York. And now she is back in my life."

Puck stared down his friend until he was uncomfortable and squirming on the bar stool. "You know, it's a good thing you never told me this story before. At 20, I would have punched you endlessly for being such a pussy-ass wimp. But in hindsight, you two really fucked things up."

"Well thanks, thats real sage advice coming from you."

"No man, I'm serious. You wanted me to be honest right?" Finn nodded into his beer and Puck looked smug. "You screwed things up. But now that she's back in town, I think you've been going about this all wrong, dude."

Face pinched in confusion, Finn wasn't following his logic. "Huh?"

"Instead of seeing this as life punishing you, why don't you see it as life giving you a second chance?"

"A second chance at what?"

"Being happy, Ass-Clown. The first time around, you two messed things up, hardcore. But a lot of time has passed. She could have stayed in New York forever, there are glee clubs and music classes there too, you know?" Finn hadn't thought about it that way. Why did she even come back to Ohio in the first place? "But she came back here. She ain't married, and neither are you. Now there's nothing holding you back but your own stupid drama that's older than my vintage X-Box games. I think that it's life's way of saying that even though you royally fucked things up the first time, now you two can do it right."

Finn stared up at his friend in awe. That actually made sense! When had he become so wise and full of advice? "Since when did you become Yoda?"

Scoffing loudly, he poured himself a shot of Jack and downed it quick. "Since I spent the better part of a decade listening to drunks tell me their life stories. I am like a catalog of good advice now, man. My advice is _golden_." Finn sat at the bar, contemplating Puck's words and the possibility of second chances. If only he and Rachel could resolve things from ten years ago, maybe they would be able to stop pretending. To finally move on. Maybe even pick up the pieces of what they left behind.

_Second chances_. He kind of liked the sound of that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

The blowout fight is coming, but things for Finn and Rachel can only go up from here!

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	8. The Connection

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: I'm starting to think this fic is going to be _a lot_ longer than I had originally planned.  
**  
****The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Eight: The Connection**

Looking out of the tinted windows of the shiny black town-car that was chauffeuring them uptown, Rachel was practically gnawing her lip away in worry. Words couldn't even express how badly she felt at the moment. The pained look on Finn's face was still haunting her as the car made it's way through traffic, weaving around yellow taxis and SUV's. But instead of seeing the bright lights of the city in front of her, all she saw was the anger in Finn's eyes as she kissed his cheek goodbye and left him in their little apartment alone.

_I want us to get __**married**_. The words were on repeat in her head, making her heart beat erratic and pounding. He couldn't have _really_ meant it, could he? He didn't even have a ring! And she was barely 20! He was probably just really upset and missing her, and let the words slip on impulse.

But his reaction to her leaving was also putting her on edge as well. She had to admit that she shouldn't have promised him a free night alone in the first place; her schedule had been booked solid for months and even something as simple as a manicure had to be penciled in. But maybe, just this once, she should have stayed home.

Panic and anxiety took control of her thoughts, making her feel on edge and jittery. Maybe she really _should_ have stayed home; hadn't she made a promise? Yeah, it was while she was lost in the thick haze of sleep, but she'd still said the words. It was just so hard for her to balance everything in her life these days. Jesse had her career wrapped around his little finger, so she basically had to do everything he said. He was able to get her into the most exclusive parties and they were always meeting new connections in the business. This was everything she had ever wanted in her life, and she wasn't going to give it up.

But she knew deep down that Finn was having a hard time coping with her new-found fame. It had been plaguing their relationship since the opening night of her show, when she'd come home from the after-party only to find a bouquet of roses thrown in the sink and Finn sprawled out in his dirty work clothes on the bed. They'd had their first of many work-related fights that night, and ever since then, she could feel him trying to push her away. All he wanted was more time, but she couldn't give it to him, so he was turning the time they did have together into a constant fight-fest. He hadn't come to a single one of her shows since that night, and their relationship only continued to suffer more and more. It felt like the connection they'd once had was slipping away, and she didn't know how to get it back.

She had to do something. She had to fix this.

"Something wrong, Rachel?" Jesse's smooth voice reached out to her from across the car as her thoughts changed from Finn to the ex-boyfriend who currently controlled her career. She wasn't stupid; she knew he couldn't be fully trusted as a person, but so far he had done nothing but catapult Rachel into the life of her dreams. Night after night, she sang her heart out on stage, then got chased down for autographs by actual fans and escorted out to fancy dinners and restaurants where people took her picture. It was everything she had ever wanted and more.

So she'd put aside their rocky history and focused solely on the present. Jesse was a great teacher, and he provided her with certain opportunities that no one else had. Plus, he gave her the advice she'd needed to handle her problems with Finn.

"I'm worried about Finn. He seemed really upset that I came out with you tonight. I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have come." As soon as she'd said the words out loud, she knew it in her heart that it was the truth. She should go home and fix this right this second. She should have never left.

But Jesse laughed softly and shook his head. "Rachel, come on! What have I been telling you since the show first started? Finn _knew_ what he was signing up for when he came out to New York to support you. Show business is hard, and very few performers have the talent and drive to succeed. But you know that if you put in the effort now, you can spend the rest of your life with Finn sunning in St. Tropez. He'll understand. You know tonight is too important for you to miss. Producers, casting directors. . .everyone is going to be there tonight. And when Finn escorts you to your first Tony awards, you'll _both_ be thanking me."

She let his words calm her pounding heart. Finn was always the one to understand her, even when she was being her most irrational, diva-like self. He knew, right? That this was all going to pay off, one day? Sacrifices must be made in order to succeed, and if spending the night out at another fancy gala was gonna get her a Tony nod, then she would have to find a way to make it up to him.

_That was it!_

She was going to find a way to make it up to him. Show him that their relationship really _did_ matter to her, and that all their fighting was just pointless and petty. Rachel was the kind of girl who wanted it all, and she was going to get everything she had ever wanted. Her Tony award, her gorgeous, loving man. . . all she had to do was show Finn that she was as dedicated to him as he was to her.

So she started to plan quietly to herself while the town-car maneuvered through the thick city traffic, thinking about what she could do for Finn to make up for their botched plans. When she realized that she had shows all weekend long, she came up with an idea that was bound to prove to Finn that she was sorry about tonight, and willing to make sacrifices for him, as well.

She was going to call her understudy and ask her to take over for her tomorrow.

Her mind raced with possibilities of what she could do for Finn with all that free time! Maybe let him sleep in late while she made him breakfast in bed? Lots of bacon, his favorite breakfast food, and some fresh fruit for them to share. Then maybe she could _feed_ him breakfast in bed and spend the morning in his arms, being lazy and in love like they were last year. Then, she was going to say yes to his proposal, if that's what it truly was. She was going to say yes and make sure that he remembered how much she truly loved him.

She knew the fight they would have tonight after the gala would be immense, but she was going to set things right. In retrospect, his words from their fight made her heart ache painfully when she thought about _his_ dreams, and how she had been neglecting the one person who had been there with her through it all. Well, no longer.

Things were going to get better after tonight, they just had to.

Because she was pretty sure things couldn't get any worse.

The car finally made it's way uptown, and pulled up in front of the Guggenheim Art Museum. The entire front was surrounded with paparazzi, and Rachel could spot the guests coming in on the red carpet, stretching down the long Manhattan sidewalk. When the car door opened, Jesse was there to help Rachel out of the car, smiling and posing for pictures. As much as she wanted to make a good impression, she was still anxious about things with Finn. But always the actor, she put on a happy smile and posed for the paps while her mind was on Finn and their tiny apartment downtown.

She wanted to go home, and she hadn't even entered the event.

The Guggenheim was a beautiful museum, right across the street from Central Park. The event that was being held was a "Art in Theater" exhibit, and the museum was filled with influential playwrights, composers, producers, directors, actors, and all other members of the Theater and Art worlds. She felt like a little fish in the Mariana Trench, but she was determined to network and make fabulous impressions on these people. Jesse was already working the crowd, introducing her to people as they mingled around the room. But as she shook the hands of these older, more distinguished people, she couldn't deny in her heart that she really wished she was with Finn.

In fact, she was just about to feign a stomach ache or something and tell Jesse that she was going to leave, when the sounds of yelling echoed through the museum. She felt someone poking her arm, and when she turned to tell Jesse to stop messing up the ruffles on her dress, she voice she heard did not belong to Jesse St. James.

"Rachel? Rachel, wake up!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Opening her eyes in the darkness of the unfamiliar bedroom, Rachel sat up quickly, disoriented, and tried to remember where she was. It wasn't hers, but she definitely recognized it. She looked at the woman who was poking her, and realized that it was Tina. _That's_ how she recognized the room; she could remember the countless sleepovers that she'd had with the other glee girls here. Wait, what was she doing sleeping at Tina's parent's house?

"Are you feeling better, Rachel? You were so tired after you told me your story, I said that you could take a nap and you passed out on me! Did you know that you even missed the party? I saved you a piece of cake, though."

Frowning deeply, Rachel tried to remember the events of the day. After an exhausting day of teaching and rehearsal, she came over to Tina's parent's house to help her get ready for the Baby Shower. While they were putting together goodie bags, Rachel had told her the story of how Finn and her had broken up, and by the time she'd stopped crying, she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.

_That_ explains the dream she'd had. That terrible night was filled with some _painful_ memories, and it was a good thing that Tina had woken her up before she'd had to suffer through the rest of that nightmare again. That night was going to haunt her forever, she was sure of it.

"I'm so sorry, Tina. I didn't mean to be such a buzzkill. Things at work have been crazy and I haven't been sleeping well at all lately." She felt horrible for missing out on the party but she truly felt better. Not only was she relieved that she was finally able to get that heavy load off of her chest, but she felt more energized from that nap than she'd been all week.

And now the party was over.

"Don't be sorry, Rachel. I'm just glad that you came by, and I loved the Elmo onesies you bought for us. They're adorable." Rachel hadn't known the sex of the baby before the party, so she bought Elmo because all kids loved Elmo. It turned out that Tina was having a boy, so she lucked out. "The party was boring anyway. Women were wrapping toilet paper around my belly and I had to watch all the ladies drink wine when I couldn't. But I'm glad I got to see you before I left for Columbus. I want you to call me whenever you need a friend, okay?"

"Of course, Tina. I better be one of the firsts to know when the baby comes, OK?"

"You got it. And good luck with your job. I think you and Finn just need some time to move on and find yourselves a little. In time, you'll start to talk again, and then you can start to get into what happened in New York. I think you two need some serious closure, in a bad way." Tina was right, but Rachel just wasn't ready to go there with Finn yet. They were barely able to be in the same room as one another without things getting awkward, and the fact that it was still only the first week of school was mind-boggling. How was she going to survive the entire year when the first week already seemed like eons?

But instead of delving back into those tumultuous emotions, she hugged her friend and gathered her things to leave. It wasn't late, but she didn't want to intrude any longer in Tina's parent's house. She had to hold back tears while saying goodbye to her dear friend. She was going to miss having her in town to talk with, and even though she planned on calling her and keeping in touch, she still wished that she had a friend who permanently lived in town.

After saying their final goodbyes, Rachel walked to her car, filled with energy but no place to go but home. For once in her life she didn't want to escape to the safety of her bedroom, she wanted to be _somewhere_. Somewhere other than her childhood bedroom with the same old Broadway posters on the walls. She wanted to go to a place in town that she hadn't been before, and she pulled into an unfamiliar parking lot before she even realized where she was driving.

Shutting off her car, she looked at the rustic bar in front of her with hesitance. Shakey's bar was the place that all the kids in town wanted to go to, but could never get into. She had always wondered along with the rest of her peers what it was like inside, but she had left town before she'd turned 21, so she'd never had the chance. But tonight, she was feeling adventurous. And _thirsty_.

She figured she would just go inside and see what all the fuss was about, then have one drink and call it a night. What she didn't expect was to come face to face with Noah Puckerman, staring at her with shock in his eyes and a wicked smirk on his lips.

"Well, if it isn't the only girl in Lima I haven't fucked!" He took a good, long, look at Rachel, nodding his head in approval. "Looking good, Berry." She had to smile at his antics. Some things never changed, and Noah Puckerman was still the same heart-breaker she knew in high school.

"Noah Puckerman, I did not expect to see you here!" She reached across the bar and gave her old friend a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, where the hell else would I be? I basically own this shithole!" She could hear the fondness he had for his bar in his voice, and could tell that he really loved it. It wasn't the most posh or exotic bar she'd ever been in, but it was very _Lima_. Turning back to her old friend, he kept smiling at her in an odd way, like he was in on a joke and she was not. "I wonder if I should wake him up now, or later."

Shaking her head in confusion, she made herself comfortable at the bar. "Who?"

Laughing lightly, he pointed to the end of the bar. "Sleeping Beauty over there." Turning her head to look at the far end of the bar, she almost fell off of her stool when she realized who it was.

Finn was at the end of the bar, his head resting on one of his arms, looking like he was either passed out or about to. His eyes were unfocused, and even though he was staring at Rachel, it was like he was seeing right through her.

"Is he asleep?"

"I have no idea. He did a bunch of shots after he spent the better part of the night crying about _you_. Been like that ever since." It took a minute for her heart to restart in her chest. He'd been talking about her to Puck?

"Crying? About what?" She had to know. Was he still mad? Did he still hate her?

He shrugged lightly. "About what happened between you two a lifetime ago. Did you know that asshole never told me? He's spent every weekend drinking at this bar for ten years and I didn't even know the reason you two broke up until tonight. Talk about baggage."

She couldn't believe that she'd been talking to Tina about the exact same thing not even a few hours ago. No wonder Finn looked so dazed.

But apparently he had been somewhat conscious, because before she knew it Finn was standing next to her, reaching over to grab Puck by the shirt from across the bar, a threatening look on his face.

"It's nice to know who my true friends are, bro!" There was a slight slur to his voice and Puck slapped his hands away, reaching across the bar to grab Finn by his own shirt and give him a shake.

"I'm the best friend you'll ever have, fucktard, and you better remember that. You may not realize it, but I'm doing you a favor! Now you better cool your drunk ass or else I'm calling _Officer Rutherford_ and having him come drag you to the Tank. And you know how much Matt _loves_ dealing with the drunks of this town." Letting go of Finn's shirt, he shoved him down onto a stool and Finn swayed dangerously before finding his balance and sitting calmly next to Rachel. He wouldn't make eye contact with her though. "Rachel, what would you like to drink?"

She didn't know how to answer that. Should she even stay? Finn was sitting so close to her she could smell the alcohol on his breath, but she didn't want to leave. Even though a part of her was telling her to run for the hills from a drunk and volatile Finn, her butt stayed firmly planted on the bar stool. She could do this. She wasn't going to run from him anymore.

"A white wine, please."

She could feel his eyes on her, peeking at her through his periphery, taking in the way she was folding her little bar napkin into tiny triangles. Puck brought over a glass of white wine for Rachel and a tall glass of ice water for Finn to help him sober up. She took a deep sip, not because she wanted to get drunk, but because the overwhelming tension and stress of the evening was making her upset.

"Since when did you start drinking?" His voice carried across the bar and she was shocked he was being cordial to her without any prompting. They weren't in school or at rehearsal; he was talking to her all on his own.

She tried to keep her voice steady. "At 21, when it was the legal age for me to begin drinking in the Unites States."

Sipping lightly from his water, he shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't picture you as much of a drinker."

"I'm not, really. I'm just thirsty. And I'm at a bar." It all seemed so simple, but it was so much more complicated than that. She downed the rest of the wine in another sip, feeling the burn of alcohol down her throat and watched as Finn frowned into his water.

"Geez, how thirsty are you?"

"You have _no idea_." The look he gave her was one of pure confusion, and she struggled to find the words to say as the sudden flow of wine into her system made her feel warm and fuzzy. "When I was a little girl, and I was sad, my dad's used to give me a glass of water. After a while, I couldn't tell if I was sad or _thirsty_." Her voice was flat and monotone as she recalled the memory, feeling Finn's eyes on her the entire time.

Suddenly, he scoffed harshly, jarring her out of her nostalgic thoughts. "Yeah, right."

"Excuse me?" Did he just doubt her Pavlovian-esque response to thirst and sadness?

"Rachel, we lived together for two years and dated for a total of four. I never, once, saw you drinking any more than normal. Even when we were in the middle of the worst fights of our lives. I call bullshit."

As much as she wanted to be offended at his accusations of lying, she couldn't be. He had never seen her be this sad before. Even while they were in their roughest of rough patches, she was never this melancholy. The truth escaped her lips before she'd even had a chance to catch it. "That's because I was never sad when I was with you."

Finally he looked at her, turning around on the tall bar stool to face her with a doubtful look on his face. "Huh?"

Since when had it become so easy to talk to him? To let the truth about their past spill from her lips like it hadn't been haunting her for years. "It's the truth. Even towards the end, when we would fight," he winced to himself, but she soldiered on, "I was never _sad_. In fact, being with you was probably the happiest time of my life." She smiled softly, even though there were tears blurring her vision. "You never made me, _thirsty_, while we were together."

She lifted up her head to see his reaction, but her tears were making it hard to see. When she blinked them away, he was staring at her with the most tender expression she had ever seen on his face. It almost took her breath away. "You're telling the truth, aren't you?"

It felt like the air between them was so thick she could barely breathe, his body was so close to hers and they were opening up to one another for the first time in over ten years. She was locked in his stare when she managed to spit out a meek, "Of course."

He didn't say anything after that for a long while. He kept staring at her, taking sips from his water but never breaking eye contact with her. When he finally did speak again, the sound almost scared her. "It was mine, too."

"Huh?"

"The happiest time of my life. I was never happier then when we were together." Suddenly, it wasn't just the wine that was making her warm. His eyes still gazed into hers as they sat at the bar in their own little world, lost in the memories of the past. She thought her heart would leap straight out of her chest when his hand reached over and held onto hers, resting lightly on top of the bar.

"Do you want another glass of wine? It'll be my treat." She smiled at him softly, squeezing his hand but shaking her head.

"No, thank you. I'm not thirsty anymore."

They talked for a while after that. They talked about glee and music and their students. They talked about Puck and the bar and a million other frivolous things that had no real meaning. But none of that mattered, because the important thing was that they were _talking_. Talking like two old acquaintances who were catching up instead of two people who couldn't stand one another and were playing pretend. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

It felt like their connection was finally back. Like the pain that had been lingering around them for so long wasn't there anymore. Was this what moving on felt like? Because Rachel liked it.

They held hands the entire night. Even Noah had noticed but hadn't said anything, thankfully. If he had chosen to be a douche, he could have ruined the tender gesture between the two, but he'd let it slide. It wasn't until Rachel went to pay her meager tab when they had broken contact from one another for the first time all night.

She felt strangely nostalgic when Finn offered to walk her to her car. It was like she was in high school all over again, and if she was being honest with herself, she liked it. It made her feel young and reckless and carefree, something she hadn't felt in ages. After a decade of misery, she wanted to hold onto it and never let her go.

"I'm glad I was feeling adventurous tonight, Finn. It was really nice to talk to you."

"Yeah, it's been a long time. We should do it again soon. But I'll see you on Monday." His lips were turned up in the same crooked smile that melted her heart and made her stomach flutter like a moth's wings. Filled to the brim with nostalgia, she reached up and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

At the last minute he turned his head, catching the corner of her lips in an awkward, but sweet, half-kiss. The brief contact sent sparks shooting down her spine into every extremity on her body. It was like lightning was going to shoot out of her fingertips.

She pulled away almost instantly, from both embarrassment and awkwardness. She really hadn't meant to kiss him but now all she wanted to do was throw herself at him. From the torn look on his face, she was sure he was thinking the same thing.

But instead of saying their good-nights, he asked her a question, his voice low and probing. "Why did you come back to Lima?"

The question threw her off guard, in more ways than one. She didn't even know what to say. His voice wasn't full of malice or anger, only pure inquisitiveness. But she still couldn't answer the question. They had only just started talking again, and she wasn't _ready_ to talk about this with him yet. This was too heavy, too painful to discuss right now.

"I told you, before. Lima is my home. Did I really need a reason to come home?"

"I guess not." He shook his head sadly, and she wished that she was ready to talk to him about their past.

One day, though. One day.

She smiled softly and made her way into her car, turning on the engine and lowering the windows to say good-night. But before she was able to pull away, he poked his head into her car and she thought he might try to kiss her again. But instead, he just looked at her and said, "I'm glad you did," in his low, sexy voice, making goosebumps rise on her arms.

"Me too. Goodnight, Finn." And she made her way onto Main Street and headed home, feeling lighter and more carefree than she had in years. He was actually _glad_ that she'd come home! He wasn't pretending to be nice to her anymore, it was genuine. She knew that it was going to take some time, but finding ways to rebuild the connection they'd once lost was going to be an _interesting_ adventure.

And there was nothing better than an adventure when it involved Finn Hudson.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

So as you can tell, I won't be revealing the events of "the fight" until Rachel and Finn are able to settle their differences together. But when you do find out, it'll explain everything.

Until Next Time. . . *sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	9. The Kiss

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my good friend AkPierce for her birthday! Have a great one, Monaco!

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Nine: The Kiss**

"Will you just hand me the damn wrench!" A shrill, annoyed voice echoed through the almost-empty room as a young girl waited impatiently with her hand out, tapping her feet and looking like she was about to attack.

"No way! Especially cause you're using the _wrong_ wrench! You are not gonna fuck up another one of my labs, Sam. I'm almost failing as it is." Andy was looking through the tools, trying to find the one they needed to finish up the late assignment they were making up during their free period. Finn sat in his office, observing them while he himself was waist-deep in old work. As he tried to grade the old homeworks and labs, he could hear his two students bickering in the garage. There was just something _different_ about the way Sam and Andy worked together. He could never understand why they just couldn't be civil towards one another, but they always wound up fighting and not getting any real work done. Besides the fact that neither student seemed very interested nor proficient in Auto Shop, he idly wondered why they'd even signed up at all.

It was October already, and every day the team was getting closer and closer to Invitationals. Things between him and Rachel were a bit strained still, but it was getting easier and easier to work alongside of her and not let the past control his emotions. Just because he'd been drunk that night they'd met at the bar, it didn't mean he'd forgotten what they'd talked about. He could remember holding her warm, tiny hand on the bar while they talked, and the ways her lips felt on the corner of his mouth while she'd said goodnight. He remembered telling her that he was glad she'd come home, even though he still wasn't sure if it'd been the truth or the alcohol talking.

But day by day, things were getting better. Easier. They made glee club their highest priority and worked together as professionally as possible.

Things were. . .okay.

If only he could say the same thing about the glee club.

They had enough members now, which wasn't the problem. The problem was that their team just didn't have the star power that they'd been used to. When they were in glee, Finn and Rachel had been the leads, but they'd also had plenty of other amazing singers who were always gunning for lead solos. In this group, the singers were good, but they weren't. . ._amazing_. They were missing something, and Finn and Rachel couldn't figure out what was wrong. Their performances were lackluster, and they had to find a way to inspire some confidence in them all. If they didn't get to Regioanls this year, Finn and Rachel were both going to lose their jobs, and they couldn't risk that. Something had to be done. But as Finn stared down onto the massive workload he had on his desk in front of him, he wondered if he would even have the time to figure something out. Invitationals was Saturday, and today was Wednesday.

They were running out of time.

"Do you even pay attention in class? I know for a fact the piece goes here!" Finn rolled his eyes as his students continued to argue while he was going through a crisis in his office.

"Well for a dumb jock you sure _think_ you know a lot of things." Came Sam's bitter retort. Finn winced in his office, these kids sure were vicious!

"Did you ever stop to think for once that I might not _be_ like every other jock douche in this school?" Andy sounded annoyed, and Finn felt for the kid. He knew exactly what it was like to be different when people expected you to be like everyone else.

It took a minute for Sam to answer, and her voice was low. "I don't know, you sure look the part."

"Well, you look like a boy, but I'm not expecting you to know how to fix this engine by yourself. Dammit, _I_ can't even fix this thing by myself. I don't even know why I signed up for this stupid class!"

"So why did you?" Sam's inquisitive voice floated through the classroom and Finn was tempted to shut the door so he couldn't hear them. But Sam's question intrigued him. Finn wasn't really trying to eavesdrop, he really wasn't. But his work was so boring and his student's lives seemed so much more interesting than the stupid work he had to catch up on. And he also wanted to know more about his two most elusive students. They barely ever talked except to fight with each other.

There was silence in the auto shop for a while before Andy finally answered her question. "Do you know who my dad is?" Finn peeked his head out of the door of his office to get a better look at his students. This was so wrong, but he was really curious about his students and he dropped low to the ground so they couldn't see his head poking out. He could see Sam shaking her head to Andy's question and Finn had to wrack his brain to see if the name Donovan sent off any alarms. "Mark Donovan, class of '01. He was the last Quarterback to bring home a State football championship." Finn's jaw almost dropped onto the floor. Mark Donovan was a _legend_ in this town, and his record was still untouched after over 20 years. "And after my mom died, it was just him and me. Do you think I had a choice in playing football? No. I had no choice. I was _forced_. Forced to be around assholes who I can't stand, forced into a stereotype I don't fit into, forced into taking this stupid shop class when I wanted to take _music_!" Andy kicked the chair that was closest to him and Finn could see the shock on Sam's face from his position across the room. "So I'm sorry if I don't like being labeled, Sam. I'm not like everyone else." He buried his head back under the hood of the car while Sam stood there, still blown away by his confession. Andy Donovan was starting to make a lot more sense now.

"Finn!" He heard Rachel's voice calling to him from the entrance to his office while he was sitting on the floor, eavesdropping on their students. He put his finger to his lips to shush her while his students continued to work, unaware that their teachers were listening to them. "Are you spying on our students?" Her voice was too loud, and he reached up to cover her mouth with his hands while pulling her down to the floor in his special spy spot.

"Shh. This is important. Listen." He could feel her trying to move around to make herself comfortable in her pencil skirt, and his focused returned to the two students who were finally working peacefully together for the first time all year.

"You're right, you know." Even though Sam's head was buried under the hood of the car they were working on, her voice still carried loud and clear.

"About what?"

"About being different. I'm sorry If I passed judgment on you. You're really _not_ like the other football guys I know." She scoffed bitterly and continued her work. "You've never tried to grope me or prove to others that I'm a freak."

"That's because you're not a freak." Andy continued his work while Sam backed away from the car, embarrassed. Her skull cap, that she wore at all times, got caught on the roof of the car and started to pull off of her head, allowing clumps of thick, curly brunette hair to fall onto her shoulders. Finn and Rachel both shared a look while trying to stay quiet. They hadn't even known what color hair Sam had; she kept it covered at all times. They watched as she tried to shove her hair back into her hat, smearing grease from the engine on her face. Andy saw what she was doing and dropped his tools to go help her.

"Wow, that's a lot of hair you got there, Fletcher." He held onto her hat while she twisted the long curly hair up onto the top of her head. "Makes you look like an actual chick." Sam frowned at him and took her hat back, securing it on her head and hiding the beautiful hair underneath it.

"I know, that's why I keep it covered. I hate it." Sam frowned deeply and Finn could see Rachel frowning to herself from his position on the floor. How something as simple as his students making up a lab could be so riveting, he would never know.

"Why don't you cut it off?"

A small, almost hysterical laugh, escaped her lips. "My mom would kill me. She is obsessed with my hair, and hates that I cover it up in the first place."

"And your Dad, what does he say about your _look_?" Finn watched as Sam pretty much closed in on herself, turning away from Andy and continuing the work.

"Nothing. He's a fucking deadbeat who left us." She laughed harshly, and Rachel shot Finn a worried look from their position on the floor. Sam had way more problems then she let on. "I think he really wanted a boy, you know? When he was around, he would take me to see cars and baseball games, but then he would be gone again. After a while, he never came back. I thought that maybe If I dressed more like one, he would want to come home. But he never did, and I just got used to dressing like this. I took shop because I thought it would help me connect with him or something if he came back. I don't know. He's a fucking loser. Who cares?" Shrugging, she tried to make it seem like it wasn't bothering her but she wasn't fooling anyone. Finn could see from across the room how much she was hurting, and Andy was staring at her, as still as a statue.

"I care." Finn heard Rachel stifle a small gasp at Andy's low response, and she grasped him by the forearm with an excited look on her face. Was this what all teacher's did? Spy on the love lives of their students? He wondered if Mr. Schue had ever witnessed one of his and Rachel's more private conversations in high school. His attention returned to his students as Sam looked up at Andy from under the roof of the car, her eyes wide and disbelieving. The teenage boy reached out and pulled off the girls hat again, letting the hair spill over her shoulders and fall down her back. Finn watched as the two teens stared each other down, not moving, barely even blinking. "You shouldn't hide who you are anymore, Sam." Finn felt a weird sense of deja vu as Andy reached forward to remove the smudge of grease from Sam's face with his thumb. His finger lingered right above her lips, and the two teens were completely mesmerized with each other.

Beside him, he felt Rachel grasping at his biceps, a hand covering her mouth and blocking out the excited noises he knew she wanted to make. Girls, women; they were always the same when it came to things like this! His attention turned back to the two adolescents who were inching closer and closer to the other. Oh, the joys of young love! But when they opened their mouth's again to speak, Finn was pretty sure he had fallen into another dimension or something.

Sam looked up at Andy with both hesitance and longing. "You can kiss me if you want to."

Andy nodded his head softly, eyes fluttering closed. "I want to."

It felt like time had stopped in that one moment for Finn, as he watched his two young students lean in towards one another and kiss. It looked so innocent, so pure. He could hear his own blood pounding in his head, but he could also hear Rachel's heavy breathing next to him. This was hitting them too close to home. The adults finally looked away and sat up straight while their two lovestruck students continued their kiss, stolen during their make-up lab period, unaware that they had an audience of teachers gawking at them. Finn held out a hand to help Rachel off of the floor, and they avoided eye contact with the other while straightening themselves out. They heard the bell for lunch ringing in the background, and saw their students getting ready to leave, an intense blush on both their faces.

Finn could barely believe what he'd just seen. It was like he was sixteen all over again, sitting on a checkered cloth in the auditorium, laying Rachel down softly for their first of many kisses. It felt like a whole different lifetime. And from the look on Rachel's face, he knew that she was thinking about the same thing. So he tried to change the subject. Had she come here before for a reason?

"So, what's up Rachel? Did you need anything?" He still wasn't looking at her, and she found a crack in the corner that was very interesting.

"Well, Finn, in fact, I did come here for a reason." She took a deep breath and he could see that she was blushing lightly. "I just cannot remember what it was at the moment."

He couldn't help himself, he let out a small laugh. She turned to look at his reaction, and laughed alongside of him, at both the awkwardness of the situation and the distraction provided by their students.

"Oh, I remember! It was about Invitationals. And I think I know now how to fix our little problem. . . "

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Finn stood backstage in his tux, fiddling with his tie and hoping to make a good impression on the paretns he was sure to be meeting alter tonight. He could hear Rachel with the kids, warming up in the choir room while he made sure the stage layout was all set for his group. Tonight was Invitationals, and he was more than confident in his students after the effort they put in throughout the past three days.

Rachel had realized that the one thing the group was missing was that special energy that the leads always brought to a performance. They needed to find the two singers in the club with the most chemistry, and unleash that energy onto the group and have it fuel their own performances.

So they chose Sam Fletcher and Andy Donovan. They were completely unaware that their teachers had witnessed their secret kiss, so they were more than a little surprised when they were chosen to sing the solos at that day's rehearsal. But they nailed it, in more ways than one, and now the group was performing with more heart than he'd seen in over a decade.

He noticed his group walking out into the backstage area, with Rachel following behind them, and he gathered them all in a circle to pump them up before their performance. As he took in the members of the group, he had to stop and do a double take at Sam, who he hadn't even recognized.

She was wearing the same costume as all the other girls, but she looked so _different_. Her long brunette curls were framing her face and she was wearing the same light-blue dress as her other teammates. She looked a bit uncomfortable in the high-heeled character shoes, but a small smile was highlighting her face. He saw from the corner of his eye that Andy hadn't stopped staring at her once.

"OK, guys, this is it. The moment we've been waiting for since September. After tonight, the competition is on, and I know you're going to show everyone here that New Directions is still a force to be reckoned with!" He looked at Rachel from the corner of his eyes and she was beaming. "Ms. Berry and I are more than proud of you all, and we know you're going to kick butt!"

"Yes! Break a leg, guys!" The smile stayed glued onto his face, but Finn's heart clenched painfully at the comment. Whenever Rachel was concerned, "Break a leg" had always meant "I love you."

Finn followed Rachel out of the backstage area and into the audience where they sat patiently and waited for the show to begin. They kept stealing glances at each other and shared small smiles, but Finn was more focused on his kids. In fact, he had never even been this nervous for his own performances, and now he could barely keep still; the nerves were overwhelming him.

Principal Ryan came up on stage to introduce the club, and Finn thought his heart was going to stop beating. He grabbed Rachel's hand on the arm-rest next to him and held it tightly. She squeezed back without saying a word.

"I now present, New Directions!" The curtains opened, and in front of him were his kids, no, _their kids_. His and Rachel's. While it had at first seemed impossible for them to work together, now it seemed almost easy. If it hadn't been for these kids, he was sure that they would still be at each other's throats, blinded by anger and bitterness. But the past month had really helped Finn realize that he and Rachel would always make the best team. They might not have found the closure they'd been looking for yet, but at least they had their kids.

From the moment Andy opened his mouth, Finn knew that the group was better than he had ever imagined them to be. They had really come together in the past three days, and he had Rachel to thank for it. Their hands stayed entwined for the entirety of the song. Finn kept his eyes glued onto the stage but he could feel Rachel staring at him throughout the performance. She'd been right, the addition of Sam as the lead opposite of Andy was exactly what the group had needed. Her voice was surprisingly powerful, and both he and Rachel were sure that she'd been holding back in class before she'd gotten the solo. Their voices blended in an amazing harmony that made goosebumps rise on Finn's arms. He was impressed.

Halfway through the song, he felt Rachel's head lean onto his shoulder. Surprised, he turned to face her, only to see her lips split into the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Looking up at him, she whispered, "Those are our kids." She didn't lift her head back up, and stayed there, resting on his shoulder. He allowed his head to drop onto hers as well.

"Yeah, they are our kids." For some reason, Finn really, _really_ liked the sound of that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Before long, the show was over. Finn and Rachel had stayed to talk to the parents of the students and mingle with the other faculty who'd made it out to support the team. By the time the last parent had left the building, it was late, and Finn and Rachel still had to lock up the choir room. He followed her into the room and shut off the lights as she locked up her office. They met by the piano in the center of the room to say good night.

What they hadn't expected was to just stand there for a few minutes without saying anything. He waited for her to say something, while she waited for him to do the same. He never knew where he stood with her. Sometimes they were holding hands with each other, and other times he barely knew what to say to her.

She was the one to break the stifling silence between them. "The kids sounded great tonight."

"Yeah, they were really good. Your idea of an "Oh Sherrie/Hey Jude" mash-up was pretty genius."

"Well, you know how much Mr. Schue liked mash-ups, I thought we could find inspiration from the kid's choices. Sam and Andy were great."

"Yeah, they're good kids." He took a deep breath and finally let out the one thing he'd been keeping inside of him all week. "They remind me of us, you know?"

The hesitation was thick in her voice. "Finn. . . "

"The secret kiss, the solos. I look at them and all I can think about is us, when we were in glee. We were so happy." She looked like she wanted to run for the nearest exit, but she wouldn't even make it that far, she was wearing heels tonight. "I want to be happy again, Rachel." He didn't know what had come over him in that moment, but he reached forward and pulled her towards him, placing his lips on hers in the softest kiss he'd felt in years. She didn't try to pull away, but instead, relaxed into his embrace, reciprocating in earnest. The emotions that crashed over him were overwhelming, and he'd forgotten how addicting it was to kiss Rachel. The feel of her lips, the taste of her skin, was just as intoxicating now as when he'd been that horny teenager with the quick trigger. Their bodies melted into one another's as he pushed her up against the piano, trying to make contact with every inch of her body that he could. He lost himself in the feeling of the kiss, and wondered how he'd been able to live without her for so long. He had missed her, so, so much. When they pulled away for air, the torn look on her face made him pause. She didn't look as happy as he felt.

"Finn, I don't think I can do this right now." She made a move to back away from the piano, and Finn grabbed her by the wrist, keeping her in place.

"Why not?" It came out louder than he'd expected it to, and he flinched when Rachel startled. "Didn't you just _feel that_, Rachel? I haven't felt anything near that since the day I left New York. That was _special_, that was _real_. I don't want to pretend anymore. You've been back in town for over a month and I don't even know where things stand between us. You said that one day we would talk, but we've barely talked at all."

"We talk almost every day, Finn!"

"No, _you know_ what I'm talking about!" He dragged a tired hand over his face in exhaustion. "I'm talking about _the fight_, Rachel. The Guggenheim Museum." He could see in the dim lighting of the room that she was fighting back tears, but he pushed on. "I want to talk about it now. I want my closure."

"I can't, Finn. I don't think I'm ready."

"Well, what about me? I'm ready. I have questions, Rachel, and I want answers."

"Please, Finn, not tonight." She tried to pull away from him and he let her go, feeling defeated. Feeling like they were never going to come to an understanding about their past.

"I thought you wanted things to be different, Rachel. _Better_. I thought that maybe you wanted a second chance for us."

"I do!" Her adamant agreement made him pause. So she really did want to make things right?

"So why won't you talk to me?" He reached out for her hand and he took it in his, not wanting to let her go. Feeling like he was going to lose her all over again. He was completely shocked when she walked up to him on her own, holding his face in her hands and laying another soft, serene kiss on his lips. He wanted to hold her there forever, but she pulled away as quickly as she'd initiated the kiss, grabbing her bags and heading for the door.

"Monday. Give me the end of the weekend to work out the rest of my own problems and then we can talk. I promise." She paused and gave him a meaningful look. "And I intend on keeping my promise, this time." She shot him a small smile and headed for the door, leaving him reeling from their almost-conversation and breath-stealing kisses before he left for the night.

What neither of them had realized, was that someone _else_ had been privy to their almost conversation and breath-stealing kisses. Mitchell had left his mp3 player in the choir room, and returned back to the school to find it, only to see his glee advisors making out and talking about their "past" and "second chances." With a wicked smirk, he escaped out of the school sans mp3 player, ready to spread the news like wildfire that he'd been right about his glee advisors all along.

They _so_ used to bang.

And on Monday, everyone was going to know.

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Salut mes amis!

Tee-hee! The Minsk is so evil! But the truth is coming soon!

Until Next Time *sings* . . .Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	10. The Fight

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: OK, kids, this is the moment you've all been waiting for. Get the tissues!

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Ten: The Fight****  
**  
Someone was yelling, she could hear it, clear as day. The Guggenheim Museum was a circular shaped building with fabulous acoustics, so the screams bounced off of the walls and echoed throughout the spacious museum, shocking the guests who had been expecting a quiet gala for the elite. Instead, she saw the faces of the other patrons morph into snobbish masks of distaste as she realized that the yelling sounded somewhat familiar to her.

Jesse was poking her on her sleeve, and she pulled away from him a bit, trying not to mess up the intricate ruffles on the shoulders. "What is it Jesse?"

"Rachel? Is that _Finn_?" Jesse was pointing towards the exit, shocked, and Rachel's heart fell into her stomach when she looked towards the door and saw her normally carefree boyfriend being held back forcibly, screaming at the top of his lungs. Looking around her, she paled at the shocked and offended faces scattered around the exhibit as they took in his appearance. Finn was screaming like a madman, still in his dirty work clothes, while the people in attendance were wearing suits and dresses that probably cost a small fortune.

Her face erupted in a fierce, embarrassing blush that she couldn't control. How dare he come to her event, crash it, and make such a scene! What was he doing here?

She ran towards the exit, Jesse trailing behind her, hoping that her boyfriend wasn't going to get arrested for pulling such a foolish stunt. When she came closer to the doors, Finn was finally able to spot her, and he struggled against the security guards even more.

"Look, there she is! I have to talk to her, get the fuck off of me!" He was incessant in his attempts to reach her, no matter how hard the other security guards pushed him back. Finally she approached the exits, and he pushed through the large men to get to her, grabbing her by the arms tightly as the other guards still tried to grab him.

"No! Please, he _is_ with me!" She placed both hands up in a placating gesture and the other guards gave her the stink eye. Finn's grip on her tightened.

"C'mon, Rachel, let's go home." His voice was gritty and rough, so unlike the soft voice that whispered love into her ears every morning. She glanced a look at his face and he looked almost feral, like a wild animal, coiled up and ready to pounce at any second. He looked around at the guards who looked like they wanted to grab him again and he tensed. Jesse came up to him slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Just calm down, Finn. This is a really important night for Rachel. Do you want a drink? Someone get this man a beer!"

Finn shook the hand off and scowled deeply. "Fuck off, St. James. I don't want a drink, and I don't want your fake-ass bullshit. I am taking Rachel home and she's coming with me now." People started to circle around the three of them, and she could feel everyone's eyes on the trio of her, Finn and Jesse. The air grew thick with tension as the spectators continued to gather.

She whispered to him, low and urgent. "Finn, please, _stop_. Why are you doing this?" She was so mortified she felt like she wanted to disappear. But he was either ignoring her, or he couldn't hear her, because he started to push past Jesse, who had placed his other hand on Rachel's shoulder. Finn started to glare at Jesse with murder in his eyes.

"Get off of her, and let us go." Rachel could hear the warning in his voice and she shuddered, knowing full well that Finn was capable of hurting Jesse if he was provoked. But Jesse still wouldn't move.

"Finn, I think you are doing a detriment to both yourself and Rachel's career if you keep up with these juvenile antics."

Finn's response was a swift punch in the face, and when his fist connected with Jesse's jaw, she couldn't control the hysterical scream that escaped her lips.

Jesse went down quickly, falling into a group of guards who had been standing behind him. She could hear the appalled gasps of the elite crowd that had surrounded them, and she could see the disgust written all over their faces as she felt Finn pull her out of the lavish event. People were screaming after her, but all she could hear was her blood pounding in her ears as Finn pulled her out onto the Manhattan sidewalks, the night air hitting her face and snapping her out of her trance.

Finn was practically dragging her down the street, and she started to trip over her tall shoes. "Finn, stop!" He kept going and she was starting to panic. She never saw him act like this, not in all the years that she'd known him. Looking into his eyes before was like looking into a stranger's. "Finn, STOP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, smacking him on the back of the head with her tiny clutch.

He finally stopped walking, turning around to look at her with something akin to betrayal in his eyes. "What is it?" He practically spit at her. His body was still tense and he looked more angry than she had ever seen him.

"What are you doing here? Why did you punch Jesse?" She had so many other questions but she didn't even know where to begin, he was glaring at her in a way that was making her skin crawl.

"You know what I'm doing here?" He asked her, scaring her with the harsh sound of his voice. "I was standing in our bedroom, the room that we've shared together for almost _two whole years_, reeling from the fact that I'd just proposed to you, and you didn't even care!" Something ached painfully deep in her gut; he had been _serious_. No wonder why he was so upset. "I realized something then, Rachel. No matter what, I'd made a promise to you that I would follow you wherever you'd wanted to go, and be with you no matter what; but what have you promised me? What have you sacrificed for me? Everything you've sacrificed has been for your career. So I needed the proof that I still matter to you. I'm here to bring you home, Rachel. I've had enough with this, _this life_, that we've been living for the past few months. It's not enough for me anymore."

She had to resist rolling her eyes at him. And people called _her_ a drama queen! What has been up with him lately, doesn't he realize that everything she'd done had been for _them_? "Finn, I _said_ that I was sorry about breaking our plans tonight, but I have every intention of making it up. . ." He interrupted her rudely, cutting her off and not letting her elaborate the plans she'd made for them the next day.

"That's not good enough, Rachel. Not anymore." He stood in front of her with his arms crossed, and she struggled to find meaning in his last comment.

"What do you mean 'that's not good enough'?" She copied his stance and went on the defensive. "You knew what you were signing up for when you followed me to New York, Finn." She regurgitated the words that Jesse had told her over and over again. Her justification for working when she should have been with Finn. "You have no idea the sacrifices I've made to try and make this work."

"So what, spending time with me was what you sacrificed? I'm the one who gets pushed aside? No way Rachel, not anymore."

His words put her on edge, and her heart started to pound in her chest furiously. "What does _that_ mean?"

"It means that I'm done feeling like I'm not good enough for you. I'm done feeling like a loser no matter where I live. I'm done with thinking that my own girlfriend would rather go to a _stupid party_ than be with her boyfriend!"

"That _stupid party_ is what's going to help me win a Tony. This is the life I chose, Finn. Deal with it."

"No." His refusal was so swift and sudden, she needed him to elaborate.

"What did you just say?"

"I won't deal with it. I need to know the truth, Rachel, about your priorities. And I want you to make a choice." He took a deep breath and made eye contact with her, leveling her with his stare, making her feel like she was on trial. "It's either me or Broadway, Rachel. You know that I love you, and right now my love is all I have, and all that I can give to you. But it's real, and I would take care of you, no matter what. But if your career is really _that_ important, more important than me, I need to know."

It felt like her chest was caving in on itself, a hollow, dull ache that spread throughout her like a numbness. She wasn't supposed to to have to choose, she was supposed to have it all, just like she'd always wanted. Now, the man that she loved was making her choose between the two halves of her own heart.

How _dare_ he!

A rush of indignant fury blazed within her, threatening her grasp on her self control. He had promised to support her and be with her no matter what! She wasn't the kind of girl who liked to curse, but _fuck him_ if he thought she was going to stoop down to his level of pettiness. Was he seriously forcing her to make a choice between the two things? How could she choose?

Broadway had always been her _dream_. Her _aspiration_. Her _life_. Performing was in every cell of her body, in every breath of air that she took. Before she had ever heard of a boy named Finn Hudson, she had been dreaming about joining the ranks of the greats like Barbra Streisand, Patti LuPone and Bebe Newirth. When she'd been cleaning slushies out of her hair and eggs off her clothes, she was dreaming of the day when she would be able to rub her fame in all their farm-boy faces.

She _loved_ Finn, but her dreams had been with her longer than her high school boyfriend had.

She knew her choice.

"I'm sorry, Finn." She took a deep breath and tried to put on a calm facade, but inside she felt like screaming. "But my dreams have always been bigger than you, and they always will be." The look on his face was going to be burned into her heart forever. How had it come to this? "If you insist on making me choose, I choose Broadway. I choose New York." _But it doesn't mean that I don't love you. . ._

"So that's it, after everything we've been through, you're choosing your career."

"Why are you being so unreasonable? I don't understand why I have to choose anything!"

Suddenly his voice was booming, surrounding her and filling her with guilt and anxiety. "Because I've never had to _make_ a choice, Rachel! For me, there was always one thing, and one thing only. _You_. I gave up my friends, my family, my job at Burt's auto shop, all to follow you. You were always my choice. But I'll always be second place to your career."

This conversation was making her uncomfortable now; it sounded too much like he was breaking up with her. Something that definitely should not be happening on the streets of Manhattan. "Finn, I think you should just go home, eat your noodles, and we'll talk after I get home from the party."

He nodded to himself with his lips curled up in a wicked sneer, and he looked at her like she was dirt under his nails. "Unbelievable. _Un-fucking-believable_!" He threw his hands in the air and started to pace frantically, making him look almost unstable in his riled-up state. "You know, If I would have known that the woman I loved was going to turn into a _selfish_, _diva_, _bitch_, I wouldn't have ever left Lima." His words cut through her like a knife, leaving her feeling raw and gutted on the pavement. He started to walk towards his car, leaving her alone in the middle of the sidewalk with tears in her eyes from the insult. Not wanting him to have the last say in the argument, she screamed back the worst thing she could possibly think of.

"Well then why don't you just go _back_ to Lima, Finn? It's where you _belong_!" She could hear his tires screeching down the streets of New York, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. Rachel seethed to herself before collecting her wits and heading back into the event. When she got home later, they were going to have _one hell_ of a talk. Hopefully he will have calmed down by then.

She walked back over to the Guggenheim, and the guards who had been witness to the previous fight blocked her entrance to get back in. They looked at her the same way the other guests had looked at Finn. Like she was unwelcome, a fly in their food.

"I need to go and see if my friend is all right." She hoped that Jesse was okay; she knew that Finn could land a solid punch if he'd wanted to. But the guards wouldn't move, saying that she wasn't allowed back into the party. Mortified beyond belief, she turned on her heel and tried to call Jesse's cell phone from the street. He actually picked up and Rachel felt more than a little relieved. He was her co-star, after all.

"Jesse, are you feeling alright? Finn left but they won't let me back in."

"It's okay, Rachel. You've had a hard night, just go home. I'll call you tomorrow." His voice sounded detached, and a bit cold, but he was probably still mad at Finn for punching him in the face. Hell,_ she_ was still mad at Finn, as badly as she felt about their fight. She didn't even know what to expect when she got home, but she knew there had to be a way to fix this. To show Finn that even though her dreams came first, her love for him was just as important and all-encompassing. She shouldn't have even made a choice at all, but he'd wanted to know.

She hailed a taxi and made it back downtown to their apartment, crippled with guilt, anxiety, fatigue, and a million other emotions she couldn't sort out. As she was climbing up the four flights of stairs, she regretted every single aspect of the day. All she wanted to do was climb into her bed with Finn and try and work something out. Maybe she should take the next _few_ days off of the show and dedicate it to him. Show him how much he really mattered to her.

But when she entered her apartment, she knew immediately that something was wrong. The TV was all askew, and furniture had been moved in the living room. Finn's video game systems were all gone, ripped right out of the TV as empty game boxes were littered on the floor. She ran into their bedroom and it looked like a tornado had blown through it; there were clothes everywhere and his toiletries were all gone from their bathroom.

She collapsed onto her couch, not truly believing what had happened.

He left her. She made her choice, and Finn was _gone_.

From now on, it was just Rachel against the world.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Her alarm rang loudly, snapping her out of the nightmare that she'd been trapped in for the better part of a decade. It figured that she would dream of that now, mere hours before she had to talk it through with Finn. There were so many things that had gone wrong in the past, so many things that they could have done differently. As much as she'd wanted to keep those terrible times buried in her memories, she knew that she had to talk to Finn about it today. She'd made a promise, and she had to keep it this time.

She got into school extra early to meet him, like they had planned for over the weekend. Normally she didn't get to school until about 7:30, but today she was in at 7; early enough that she and Finn could talk without being bothered. She had to will herself to walk down the hallway, walking so slowly towards his office it was like she was dragging her feet along the linoleum of the floor. When she finally approached his office, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and knocked.

He opened the door immediately, and smiled at her timidly before allowing her the space to enter. "Good morning, Rachel. How was your weekend?" Her nerves were making her shake a little, and she answered "Fine," with a nod and a small smile. He moved a chair for her to sit down in front of his desk, and he sat down as well, pushing a small cup of coffee towards her.

"Grande Caramel Latte with Soy Milk. I still remembered." He looked more than a little proud of himself while she picked up the cup and smiled graciously.

"Thanks, I needed this." She took a deep sip of the proffered coffee and allowed the caffeine to do it's trick. For about another minute, they stood in the tiny office, waiting for someone to make the first move. Rachel continued to nurse her coffee, using it as a crutch so she didn't have to go first.

"So." It was amazing how one syllable could hold so much meaning to it.

"So." She returned the statement, hiding her face in her coffee once more.

"Why wouldn't you marry me?" It was a simple enough question, but unadulterated panic flowed throughout her as she contemplated that night and her memories of New York. It had been so long ago, even though most of the memories to her were still clear as day. But this was it; there was no turning back. They were going to discuss this, and get it off their chests once and for all. She placed the coffee on his desk and got ready to talk.

"To be honest, Finn, at the time I didn't even know you were serious. I thought you were being dramatic and over the top because you were mad that I was going out to the party. I had no idea that you honestly meant you wanted to get married, at 20, with no money or job." The look on his face was that of pure shock as he absorbed her words, processing them along with his memories of that night.

"You didn't think I was serious?" He ran a hand over his face in frustration. "Rachel, I _loved_ you. I wanted us to get married."

"I wanted us to get married, too, Finn! But not at _20_. Not when our definition of a night out on the town was giant pretzels in the park. Not when all we had was that crappy four-floor walk-up with no A/C. I wanted us to wait longer so I could become established in the business. Earn money. Support us."

"Then why was I always being the one pushed aside? Why was I the one who was always being sacrificed?" She could see the raw pain in his eyes, making her feel guilty for putting him through so much pain for so long.

"Finn, do you realize that I was only _19_ years old? All I'd cared about back then was making it in the business and performing, and becoming a member of that world. I think I would have done _anything_ back then to become a star, you know? It was so close I could taste it. All I'd ever wanted was right there, in my hands, and all I had to do was skip our private dinners and stay out late. I had to smile and pose and laugh when my heart wanted to be in our little apartment together, watching movies and TV." She laughed bitterly to herself, knowing how selfish and juvenile she'd been. "Some people say that they would sell their soul for their dreams, and in a way, it was like I did." She could see him staring at her with an ancient pain set deep in his eyes. "It was so easy to ignore you when I thought I was doing it all for our relationship. It wasn't until after you'd left when I realized exactly what I'd done to us." She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes, making them sting, making her vision blurry in Finn's tiny office. Her voice started to break and Finn passed her over a box of tissues from the corner of his desk. "And I've had to live with that for ten years, so excuse me if I wasn't inclined on discussing it so openly with you before now. I'm not proud of what I did." She took a second to let herself drown in the painful memories of their past, feeling like everything that had gone wrong was her fault. When she heard Finn moving around the office, she looked up and saw him crouching right in front of her, making them eye level with each other.

His voice was soft, reminding her of the days when they would talk for hours about nothing, whispering lovely things into her ears. "Please, stop crying. Haven't we cried enough?" He was looking at her softly, with tears in his own eyes as she continued to wipe hers away.

"Why did you make me choose, Finn?" As much as she wanted to stop crying, the tears continued to flow of their own accord. "It was supposed to be _Finn and Rachel_ against the world, not _just Rachel_! Out of all the things you could have done to me, why did you make me choose?"

This time it was his turn to look guilty. "I thought I was losing you, Rachel! I was desperate. I just wanted you back, but I wanted all of you, I didn't want to share you with anyone any longer."

She laughed bitterly and continued to wipe the errant tears away. "And you called_ me _the selfish one."

"I just felt like a loser all of the time in New York. It was like, no matter what I did, I thought I was going to end up a loser either way. If I would have waited for you to make money, I would have just been a trophy husband. There was nothing I could do there besides fix cars, and even that made me feel lower than dirt. It felt like I was going nowhere fast, and the only good thing I had in my life was you. So I wanted to keep you, forever, as the one thing I could call my own." Shaking his head, he laughed without any humor. "And I pushed you away by making you choose. What's that called? An Altima?"

She had to laugh at him, the feeling lifting her spirits a bit. "No, that's a kind of car. You mean an _ultimatum_."

"Yeah, that's it. An ultimatum. I gave you one of those and it backfired in my face."

She reached out in front of her and placed a hand on his hair, running her fingers through it, remembering how soft it had always felt under her fingertips. "Well, I thought I could have it all, and that backfired in my face too." She let the hand slip down onto his cheek, and she held his face in her hand gently, stroking her thumb up and down his cheek. "We both really messed up." Her voice cracked once again, and she used all of her willpower to stifle round two of her tears.

"Yeah, we really did mess things up." Their eyes locked and all of a sudden it felt like they were those two young kids again, off on their own in the big world with nothing to hold them together but each other. She realized in that moment, that this conversation should have happened ten years ago. She should have followed him home that night, and this should have been the conversation they'd had, curled up against one another, apologizing and trying to make up for lost time.

Unfortunately, there was no way to make up on ten years of lost time, and the two ex-lovers knew it better than anyone. This conversation was a decade too late, and the damage had already been done. But that didn't mean they both didn't need their closure. And although it might have seemed moot to anyone on the outside, they both knew that they couldn't move on until they'd heard the words they'd been wanting to hear for ten whole years.

"I'm sorry I made you choose." The apology was written all over his face and she could already feel her heart healing in her chest. Her voice rasped as she made her own apology, the thing she'd wanted to say for years.

"I'm sorry I made the wrong choice." It was the truth. She had made the _wrong choice_ a decade ago and tried to blame Finn for it ever since. But not anymore. An errant tear hit her lip and before she could wipe it off, his lips were on hers, strong and firm, kissing away the pain that was threatening to swallow her whole. With each kiss it was like a wound from the past was being healed, and it felt like a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her heart didn't feel so heavy anymore, and the guilt and shame she'd associated with her past was melting away with each breathy moan and sigh that escaped their lips.

"I missed you. Rachel, I missed you _so much_." He rasped out in-between kisses, swallowing her moans in his mouth, making her feel more alive than she'd felt in eons. He broke apart the kiss to stand back up on his feet, pulling her off of her chair and into his chest where he continued to kiss every part of her he could reach. She wanted to bury herself here and never let go, reveling in the memories of their youth and lamenting on all the lost time they'd missed out on. She was surprised she still fit so snuggly into his chest; they had always been like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together.

"I missed you too, Finn." It felt good to say the words; cathartic even. She looked up at his face and his smile was brighter than a thousand watt bulb, almost blinding her with joy. This closure thing was amazing!

The warning bell for homeroom rang in the distance and they both had to meet with the Glee kids quickly before school. So Rachel picked up her coffee and bag, wiped the remaining tears away from her face, and followed Finn to her office in the choir room. For some reason, people kept staring at her, and she almost tripped while looking down to see if she had spilled anything on her clothes. What were they looking at?

Finn shot her a confused look as both students and teachers pointed at them and whispered to each other as they walked down the halls together. She shrugged her shoulders and suddenly smiled, "They're probably talking about Invitationals, and how awesome the kids looked on Saturday." Finn smiled, looking relieved, and they continued their walk towards the music corridor.

Entering the choir room, all their students immediately started to holler and yell, whooping and screaming in delight while Finn and Rachel shared looks of confusion. They all started to chant "Hudsonberry! Hudsonberry!" as if it was some strange portmanteau.

"Whoa, calm down guys! What's going on?" Finn stepped forward to calm down the screaming while some of the girls threw jealous looks at Rachel, which she couldn't even begin to fathom. Suddenly, the choir room erupted in various exclamations.

"You two are so cute together!"

"When are you gonna have babies?"

"Mitchell was so right about you two!"

"Kiss her again, Mr. Hudson!"

The two educators shared a look of pure, unadulterated horror. What the hell was going on? How did they all find out about their relationship?

But before either of them could open their mouths to speak, someone standing behind them had cleared their throat loudly. They turned around to find Principal Ryan by the door, shaking his head in disappointment and frowning deeply. "Mr. Hudson, Ms. Berry, please come with me."

The class was silent as the two teachers stared at Principal Ryan in a panic. You could hear a pin drop in the choir room as Rachel followed Principal Ryan out into the hallway, Finn following close behind. People were still staring at them in the halls, especially because they were walking with the principal, and Rachel was seriously doubting she would have a job by the end of the day. As they stood outside of his office, waiting to enter, they both shared the same, terrified look.

They were _so_ screwed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Evil!Minsk is at it again! Muah ha ha!

Until Next Time *sings* Don't Stop. . . Reviewin'!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	11. The Deal

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Meeshyglee, who bought me lots of wine last night while we were being posh in Times Square! Love ya, bb!

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Eleven: The Deal**

It figured. It figured that the moment he'd found some semblance of closure in his life, someone was standing along the sidelines, waiting to take it all away from him again. It was just plain unfair, and he tried in vain to keep the annoyed and aggravated expression of his face as he felt the eyes of students and teachers alike on his tall frame. Following Rachel and the Principal down the hallway made him feel like a kid caught with his hand inside the cookie jar, embarrassed and ashamed. But the funny thing was; they hadn't really _done_ anything! It had been way after hours, they had no proof that they'd even kissed, and they couldn't be fired for having a simple relationship anyway.

But that still couldn't stop the way his stomach anxiously rolled around in his body, churning and making him feel ill as the trio entered the spacious office. They sat down in the spare chairs in front of Bryan's desk and he had flashbacks to the few times he'd gotten in trouble in high school. Principal Figgins had always seemed like an intimidating man, but nothing compared to the steely glare of Bryan Ryan. His nerves were on high alert, and he could tell by the way that Principal Ryan was staring at them that he had something he wanted to say. He spared a glance at Rachel and she looked like she wanted to disappear; he could see her hands shaking while she placed them on her lap. All he wanted to do was reach over and give them a squeeze for encouragement, but he knew that wasn't the best of ideas. They were already in deep enough water.

As the Principal, Bryan began to speak, commanding their attention and becoming the authority figure that could possibly strip them of their jobs. He hoped Rachel still had the number for that ACLU lawyer. . .

"I heard a little rumor going around school this morning, Mr. Hudson, and Miss Berry, a rumor that intrigued me greatly." They didn't say anything, just waited for their boss to continue. "I heard that one of your students caught you two making out after your Invitationals on Saturday night in the choir room. Now, at first, I thought it was ludicrous. The two of you could barely be in the same room as each other a few weeks ago, citing your complicated history as the problem. But now, my Unreleased Sexual Tension meter is going through the roof! I'm an excellent judge at these things, you know?"

Finn and Rachel didn't know what to say, so they just nodded.

"So, in order for me to be a judge on the matter, I need to know the truth. Did you, or did you not, kiss on school property after Invitationals?"

Looking down at his tiny companion, he knew it would be better if they just came clean about it. There was no use in lying and causing more problems and gossip for them in the future. Rachel turned to meet his eyes and he could see the fear in them; the fear for their jobs and for their privacy. . .but it was the only way.

"Yes, Sir. Rachel and I kissed on Saturday night. We were being honest when we said that our history was _complicated_." He took a deep breath and knew what else had to be said. "But please, don't fire myself or Miss Berry. It was a harmless kiss and it will never happen on school property again. We had no idea that a student had even witnessed the kiss, we never would have done that in front of a child if we'd known." Rachel's head nodded furiously next to his and he could see Ryan contemplating his little speech. The man was actually stroking his chin, even though he had no beard, and looked at the two educators appraisingly.

"Well, I am glad you two were honest with me, that is something I rarely find when two people are trying to cover something up. May I ask you something personal?"

What did they have to lose? "Sure" They answered in unison.

"How complicated _is_ your history?"

The two teachers shared a look. Rachel turned to their boss with a smirk on her face. "You have no idea."

"Well, Ms. Berry and Mr. Hudson, here's the rub. I can't fire you two for kissing, once, after hours when no one was around. Just because two educators wish to pursue a relationship outside of school, doesn't mean that I can fire you for it. As long as all the PDA happens off of school grounds. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Answering in unison again, they couldn't resist sharing a soft smile. They weren't going to lose their jobs! Finn went to stand up, but Principal Ryan placed a hand up and had him sit down again.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hudson. I'm not finished yet. You might not have been fired, but you still have to face the consequences of your actions."

He sat back down with hesitance, and the anxiety started to flow through him like a poison. "What kind of consequences?"

"Well, the glee club is at the center of this debacle, being that you two are the co-directors and a member of your group was the sole witness. A club like that cannot function when it's directors are too preoccupied with the other than it's students. In the best interests of the glee club, I am going to have to ask you both to step down as it's directors."

Rachel actually let out an anguished "No!" as Finn stared at his boss in shock. Sure, they hadn't been fired, but the one thing that mattered most to him was being taken away! How could he do that to the kids! They'd been through so much after the loss of Mr. Schuester, and they had just stared to feel comfortable around their new directors. Now they had to go back to square one.

Rachel tried to beg. "But sir, what about the kids? Sectionals is barely eight weeks away, and they've been working too hard to throw it all away. No one cares about this team the way Mr. Hudson and I do!"

Ryan looked nonplussed. "I will find the club another director with just as much passion as you two, I'm sure."

"No, sir. That's not the point!" Finn rose to his feet and started to raise his voice, becoming overwhelmed with the situation. Ryan looked at him with shock and a hint of annoyance, but Finn soldiered on. "Those kids have been through so much in the little time they've been back from summer break. They had to deal with the loss of their mentor, then take on two brand new directors and still make it to Regionals. It would be heartbreaking to have to see them lose another director that they'd grown attached to. Please, Principal Ryan, for the kids."

But Principal Ryan shook his head, his mind made up. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hudson. But I cannot see the glee club functioning in an environment where two people are constantly making googly eyes at each other. Relationships between colleagues have no place in a high school environment or a glee club."

In a flash of genius, he got an idea. Sparing a glance at Rachel and the tears in her eyes, he realized that this was his only option. It broke his heart to do this, but he knew that it was better for the kids in the long run. "Then I will step down as director of the team. Let Ms. Berry take over the club herself." He could feel Rachel's eyes on him but he wouldn't break contact with Ryan, who went back to stroking his imaginary beard. "She is more than capable of running the club alone, and in that way, the kids won't have to transition to a new coach. Its a win-win." Not for him, but he didn't matter right now, all that mattered was the kids.

"Hmm. That doesn't seem like a bad idea. Ms. Berry, what do you think?" He finally turned to see the expression on Rachel's face and he wished he hadn't. There were tears in her eyes that she wouldn't let fall and she looked almost angry at him. But she turned to the Principal, and without a hint of emotion in her voice, she nodded her head and said "I think it's whats best for the children."

"Then it's settled!" Principal Ryan threw his hands in the air, exclaiming in joy for the deal that they'd arranged. Finn felt less than joyful, but he put on a brave face in front of his boss. Sparing a look at Rachel, she didn't look so happy either. "Ms. Berry, you are now the sole director of the glee club. Mr. Hudson, if you're interested in pursuing another extra-curricular activity we can arrange something if you wish."

His voice was detached as he shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance. "Um, sure. Maybe some other time." He didn't want to be the director of another club or team, he wanted to be with Rachel and the New Directions. But right now, it was the only way. He'd learned in the past that sometimes sacrifices had to be made for the better. His kids were the only thing that mattered right now.

"Alright, then. You can go. Have a great day!" His voice was so cheery, the exact opposite of the way Finn felt at the moment. But he saw Rachel stand up and he did the same, walking out of the office and into the empty hallway. Rachel was walking briskly behind him, and in a clipped tone, she strode past him and said "Follow me."

They walked down the hallways of the school, not saying anything, and Finn realized that she was leading them towards his office. The tension between the two of them was palpable, and he could tell that she was far from happy about what had transpired in the principal's office. When they'd arrived in his office, she closed the door to the hallway, then the door leading to his classroom, making sure that no one was around to eavesdrop. When she turned to look at him, he winced at the furious look on her face. Her lips were turned out in a heartbreaking pout, and the tears were still threatening to fall from her eyes.

"What the hell were you_ thinking_, Finn?" Her anguished tone pierced him and tried his best to stay clam, but the events of the morning were catching up with him, and he was overwhelmed before he'd even taught his first class. He rubbed his face with his hands as he tried to explain. "Rachel, you know what I was thinking. The kids have been through enough this year, at least with you as their coach they have a chance at Regionals."

"But we could have worked something else out! This isn't fair!"

"I know it's not fair, Rachel, but that's _life_. Life isn't always fair. But I know better than anyone that you can do this. You're the only thing the glee club has left. You've got to step up now, and show them you can do it."

"Don't you understand, Finn? You're doing it _again_!" She looked exasperated, and he couldn't figure out the meaning of her words.

"Doing _what_ again?" She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out, as a single tear started to fall down her face.

"You're leaving me. You're making me do it alone, all over again." Her words were like daggers in his gut as their complicated past was revisited, once again. The shame and guilt he'd felt for leaving her was immense, and now it encompassed him while he watched Rachel crumple up into tears. Her voice sounded weak, defeated. "I don't know what to do, Finn. I can't do it without you."

"Yes, you _can_." His response was swift and forceful as he walked up to her, placing his hands on her arms, forcing her to look at him. What had happened to her after he'd left New York? Why didn't she think she could do it alone? "I know you can do it, Rachel. You have to do it; not only for the kids, but for me." She nodded softly, and all he wanted to do was kiss her. Kiss away the pain and the grief. Just when they'd thought they were building up some sense of normalcy, something else had to drag them back down to the beginning. But if this was going to be their second chance, he didn't want to mess it up. They were going to do things right this time. Her eyes fluttered shut, thinking that he was going to kiss the pain away, but he knew that being around Rachel was going to get them both into trouble if they couldn't control themselves like the adults they were supposed to be. He stepped back from her, and she frowned at the loss of contact. "I think it would be best if we took things slow for a little while."

Her face wrinkled in confusion, and he could see the hurt in her eyes. "What do you mean? Ryan said we couldn't be fired for having a relationship."

"And he also said no PDA on school grounds and we were just about to start making out again! In the middle of a school day! We can't do this, Rachel. Next time we could get fired, and I can't let that happen." He took a deep breath and sighed deeply, almost groaning, letting out all the frustration he felt and marveling at the turn of events from this morning. "Which is why I think we should take things slow. I want our second chance to be perfect, Rachel. I don't want to ruin what we could have by being the center of the town gossip."

"So what are we going to do?"

He tried to make his tone light, hoping it would ease up the tension that was building between the two. "Well, you're going to coach the glee club, and I'm going to teach kids how to fix cars, and maybe this Friday we can go out on a date?" He saw the smallest of smiles pull up at the corners of her mouth, and watched as some of the stress melted away from her tiny frame. Just because they couldn't see each other in school, didn't mean they couldn't meet in town as two adults on their own free time.

"Well, what about the kids? They're going to be upset that you're not their coach anymore."

"I'll swing by rehearsal after school to say goodbye. Don't worry, Rach. They'll understand." He wanted to kiss her so badly, but all he could think of was getting fired and becoming the town loser again. So instead he opened his office door to see her out, wishing that he could hold her hand or show her some sort of gesture that would prove that things were going to be okay. Instead, he fixed her a shaky smile and wished her a good day. When he closed the door behind her he collapsed onto his desk, banging his fist on the hard wood until it went numb. He let his head fall forward onto his desk in despair, allowing himself this one moment to rage about losing glee club, and feeling like his dreams would always be somewhat out of his reach, no matter how simple they were.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It seemed like time had slowed to a crawl for the rest of the afternoon, each class dragging out longer than the last. He'd heard a ton of gossip about him and Rachel throughout the day and tried in vain to ignore it, even though sometimes he wanted to shake these kids after hearing the perverted things they wrote about them on the bathroom walls. Kids sure had their heads in the gutters these days!

Andy and Sam were the only students he had that were also in the glee club, so when they came into his class that day, they both looked more than a little worried. They'd approached him after class, wanting to know about his meeting with Ryan, but Finn refused to tell them anything. He didn't want more gossip spreading around the school before he got to talk to the whole club, so he politely told his students to wait until that afternoon's glee rehearsal. He watched with a smile as the two kids walked out of his classroom, hand-in-hand. At least his students were able to be open in their relationships. He wished he could say the same for himself.

When three o'clock rolled around he gathered his things and walked to the choir room, standing outside the rehearsal, trying to delay the inevitable. Taking a deep breath, he willed his bitter emotions away, trying to project a calm facade. It would do no good to go in there blubbering like a baby, even though he felt like it deep down. Nothing had meant more to him than being the director of glee, and now he had to give it up over a silly little kiss. It was heartbreaking, but it had to be done. He steeled himself and entered the room, Rachel already by the piano going through paperwork while the kids sat around and talked. When they noticed him, the club exploded.

"So you didn't get fired?"

"Principal Ryan looked _really_ angry!"

"Is the club disbanded?"

"Are you two still gonna have babies?"

Placing two hands in front of him to stop the chatter, he shook his head firmly as the club settled down. "Listen up, guys, I have something really important I have to say." The club quieted and Rachel looked on with an oddly detached look to her face. He looked around at his students and his heart ached painfully in his chest. "When I started teaching here at the beginning of the year, I had no idea that I would be doing it alongside Ms. Berry, who I've known since we were your age." The students sat in rapt attention while Finn went into the details of his life he normally wouldn't have shared with his students. "I thought it would be impossible, seeing as we didn't have the best history, but we managed to work things out. Now, it seems, that even though the two of us have finally come to an understanding, we are considered unfit to be your directors. So I have stepped down from my position as co-director, and Ms. Berry is going to coach you guys solo, from now on."

The reaction was instantaneous. The kids started to yell, scream, and curse _loudly_. As much as Finn tried to calm them down, they were outraged. It was only when Rachel stepped forward with her booming voice that the students stopped. Finn could see some of the kids crying, which started to tear down his own barriers against the tears that were threatening to fall. "Everyone settle down! Mr. Hudson did this for _you_! Principal Ryan wanted us _both_ to step down, but Mr. Hudson didn't want you all to have to go through finding a new director again. We have to respect his wishes, and support his choice. He sacrificed something great, kids, and you need to show some respect."

"But it's not fair!" Sam stood up in the middle of the class and Finn couldn't believe his eyes. She never spoke in class, _ever_. "You didn't even do anything wrong! You guys care about each other!"

"But we care about the team even more." Finn stepped up and stood next to Rachel, looking at his kids and the expressions of shock on their faces. "And now, Ms. Berry is all you've got. You have to take care of her, and she's going to take care of you."

"But, Mr. Hudson, we're like a _family_. We can't do it without you."

His voice started to break, but he couldn't care less. "You _can_ and you _will_." He looked at Rachel when he said this, who looked like she needed more reassurance than the kids. "I'll still be around, guys, you know? I'll be at all your shows, and I'm around whenever you need me in the auto shop. I'll always be your number one fan." At this, he could hear Rachel try and stifle a sob, failing miserably. This was not going as well as he'd hoped. It wasn't everyday that a man like Finn Hudson was almost reduced to tears in front of his students, but it seemed like today was that day. He pinched the bridge of his nose to hide his tears and grabbed his bags. "You guys be good for Ms. Berry, and you bring the pain at Sectionals, okay?" They looked miserable as they nodded their heads, still reeling from the news. Sam rested her head on Andy's shoulder and it looked like she was crying into it while Andy's face remained a mask of stone.

He shot Rachel one last look of encouragement, sharing a small smile and started to head out of the choir room. Before he left he heard Mitchell call out his name, and he turned around to the student who had spread around his secret like wildfire. "Don't worry, Mr. Hudson. I started this mess and I'm going to fix it! You'll see!" As much as Finn wanted to believe him, he was only a sixteen year old kid, and this was the ruling of the principal. There was nothing the kid really_ could_ do, but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Mitchell might have been a pain in the ass, but Finn was pretty sure he just did it for the attention. He was really a good kid, once you got past the attitude.

"Thanks Mitchell. I'll see you kids around." He waved goodbye as he walked out, but stood outside of the choir room for a minute to gather his wits. When he heard the group warning up for their rehearsal without him, he had to ignore the churning in his gut that told him that this was all wrong; that he was supposed to be in that choir room with them. When he finally peeled himself away from the music hall and headed towards his car, he thought about Rachel; trying to ignore the sting of nostalgia in his heart that reminded him of New York, and leaving Rachel behind to do it alone. He was worried about her, but he had faith. If anyone could do it alone, it was her.

Right?

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Salut mes amis!

How history repeats itself! This story is far from over, kids!

Until Next Time. . . *sings* Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	12. The Struggle

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: My favorite author took all of her stories down this morning. If I was wiser, I would have saved them on my comp so I could have them forever.

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Twelve: The Struggle**

A phone was ringing, she could hear it. She tried to ignore it, but the ringing refused to go away, incessant and blaring while Rachel struggled to stay asleep. Slowly but surely, the ringing got louder and louder until it was enough to snap Rachel out of the deep, coma-like sleep she had fallen into when she'd come home last night to find Finn gone. As she opened her eyes to the offending sound, she spared a glance around her tiny apartment and thought idly that the apartment didn't feel so small without Finn around. But that made her heart feel like breaking all over again, so she shook her head, sucked it up, and reached for her cell phone.

"Hello?" The sleep was thick in her voice and all the screaming and crying from the night before had made Rachel's voice rough and gritty, like sandpaper. She was going to need tea, and lots of it when she got to the theater. She started to rub her eyes tiredly when she heard a voice that made her pause.

"Good Morning, Rachel. This is Charles Stanton." She sat up quickly, almost dropping the phone from her hands. Charles Stanton was one of the executive producers of her show, and she'd only met him a handful of times. He called the shots behind the scenes, and she struggled to keep her tone light while her heart started to pound.

"Good Morning, Mr. Stanton, what can I do for you?"

"Well, Rachel, I heard about what happened at the Gala last night, and I've been talking to Jesse and the other producers." There was something about his tone that put her on edge and she started to panic, gripping the phone so hard she thought it would snap in half. "We've decided to go in another direction with your role. We're letting you go."

The force of the shock was so powerful, it felt like she'd been hit by a truck. Her breathing became stilted, and shallow. "Letting me go? I don't understand."

"Rachel, the Broadway community wasn't impressed with the events that transpired at the gala last night. Jesse, our star, was punched in the face and almost couldn't sing at today's show. He was adamant in re-casting your role, saying that your relationship with that man from last night has made you unstable." She didn't know what hurt her more, the accusation that she was unstable or the fact that Jesse was considered the star and not her.

"But sir, I have broken up with that man and I assure you, I am more than stable enough to perform today. Please give me another chance."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Berry, but your understudy has already taken over the role for the duration of the season. Good luck to you in the future." And before she could get out another word, she was hung up on, the click of the phone sending chills of fear straight into her heart. It took a minute for the information to soak in, and when she snapped out of her trance her shirt was already drenched in tears.

She was let go.

Rachel Berry was _fired_.

And in a flash of realization, she knew that it was all Finn's fault. If he'd never come to the museum last night she would still have a job! She would still have a boyfriend! She would still have everything she'd ever wanted.

And now she had _nothing_. No boyfriend, no connections, no job. Everything she'd sacrificed was all for nothing! It was like every dream she'd ever had was slipping through her fingers without warning, leaving her empty-handed.

But she couldn't let herself focus on all the bad when she still had purpose. Rachel Berry was no quitter, and she wasn't going to let a couple of boys ruin the one dream she'd always had. She should have realized before that doing it herself was the only way to do it right. Rachel was going solo, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her. Picking herself up out of bed, she marched towards the shower with purpose, trying to forget about her failed relationship and the debacle of a gala, and focusing on her future in the city.

She had auditions to get to if she was still going to be a star.

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A loud knock on the choir room door woke Rachel up with a start when she realized that she had fallen asleep in her office during the lunch period, _again_. She hadn't been sleeping well in the past six weeks since she took over glee club, and lately it'd been catching up to her in the worst way. Rubbing a hand over her tired face, she tried desperately to shake away the ancient dream of her time alone in New York. It had been a nightmare living through it the first time, she hated having to go through that disappointment again in her sleep. It almost seemed unfair.

"Come in!" She called to her visitor and tried to make it look like she hadn't just been dozing off. Scribbling doodles on extra sheet music, she made it seem like she'd been busy. She smiled softly at Mitchell, who entered her office carrying a thick black binder. "Mitchell, what can I help you with, buddy? Need help on your solo? I can meet with you next period if you have free." She had no idea how she was able to keep the group together after Finn had stepped down as co-director, but Sectionals were barely a week away, and she was working harder than ever to make them into the champions she knew they were. When she wasn't teaching her own classes, she as giving private lessons to the kids and planning out songs and choreography for the routines. Every second of free time was spent on glee club, and to say that Rachel was overwhelmed would be the understatement of the year.

"No, it's okay Ms. B. I have a few questions for you about my project." She had to stifle a groan. Mitchell's "project" was his plan to get Finn reinstated as co-director of the group. She had no idea what the project entailed, but she did know that he'd been incessant in bugging her and Finn about it for the past six weeks. She thought it was sweet of him to try, but there was no way Principal Ryan would be swayed by the machinations of a sixteen year old boy, no matter how much information he was able to dig up.

"Mitchell, we told you to stop worrying about Mr. Hudson. We're doing okay without him, right? Am I that bad of a director?" She tried to joke with the kid and instantly regretted it. He looked like he agreed with her about being a bad director and she frowned deeply.

"No offense, Ms. B. We all like you, but it was just _better_ when Mr. Hudson was around, and we want him back. You're still an awesome coach, though." He shifted around awkwardly in her office and she motioned for him to sit down, feeling a bit offended, but sympathetic nonetheless.

"Alright, Mitchell, I'll bite. What do you want to know?" As much as it hurt her to admit it, the kid was right. Glee _was_ better when Finn was around, and she knew that more than anyone. He just made things so much more fun; less complicated. She never got stressed out or yelled or was bossy when Finn was around; something that had been happening more and more often during rehearsals. _Especially_ yesterday's practice; that one had been brutal. She'd asked the kids to leave early because her patience had grown so thin she thought she was going to snap.

"How did you first meet Mr. Hudson?"

She raised an eyebrow at the query, wondering how a question like this would help Finn get his coaching job back, but she went along with it. "We were in the glee club together in high school. We were the co-captains."

"And what year did you graduate?"

"2012."

"And what did you two do after high school?" She fixed a pointed look at Mitchell and the kid just shrugged his shoulders, waiting for an answer. So she sighed heavily and gave the kid the simplest answer she could muster.

"We moved to New York. And that is all I'm saying about the matter." Mitchell tried to press her for more information but she wouldn't budge. "Mitchell, what happened to us after high school has nothing to do with Mr. Hudson being your glee coach. I know you're trying to do a good thing, but its already been over a month. I think you should let it go."

But Mitchell just shook his head and scribbled more things down in his binder. "I already said I was going to fix it, and I'm almost there, Ms. B. You'll see when Mr. Hudson is backstage with us at Sectionals next Saturday! I have a plan." _Oh God, was Sectionals really next Saturday? What date was that anyway?_

"Well good, but you and your plan are going to be late for 6th period if you don't move it." The bell had rung and Mitchell packed up his binder and headed for the door. He hadn't left her alone for two seconds before Finn poked his head into her office, shooting her a smile and waving hello. "Finn!"

"Hey Rach, you got a minute?" He closed the door behind him, still worried after all this time about their image and getting fired. He leaned over her desk to place a chaste kiss on her cheek. It was welcome, but she wished it could've been more. They had only been on two casual dates since they'd worked things out, due to Rachel's busy glee schedule. And since they tried to avoid being seen together at school, she hadn't been spending as much time with him as she'd hoped.

"Sure, Finn, what's up?"

"Well, I know it's not really my place because I'm no longer the coach of glee, but I was talking to Sam and Andy this morning and they told me something that worried me."

She started to feel oddly paranoid now; her students were planning things and talking about her behind her back and she didn't like it. "What did they say?"

"They said you went crazy at rehearsal yesterday and kicked them all out early without even getting through a whole number. The kids were really upset, and they're worried about you."

She broke eye contact with him, choosing to focus more on the paperwork littering her desk than the man in front of her. "I'm fine. Just a bit stressed out."

"No, Rachel, you're not fine." She still avoided his gaze. "You look exhausted, you've been canceling our dates, the kids are worried, and frankly, I am too." His voice was soft, yet firm, and it wrapped around her like a blanket. "Tell me what's wrong."

She finally looked up at him, locking eyes and trying to convey all the stress she'd been feeling for the past six weeks. "I can't do it, Finn. I can't."

He cooed to her so softly she thought she might cry, reaching over the desk to grab her hand in his. "Yes you can, Rachel. You're doing great." He squeezed it lightly and she felt the tears start to gather.

"You're a terrible liar. The kids hate me." She had to stifle a sniffle as the conversation with Mitchell echoed in her head.

"They do not! They love you! They're _so_ worried about you, Rachel, you have no idea."

"I can feel it, I'm starting to crack. The pressure is building and I'm going to explode." He looked at her sympathetically and she could feel the stress flow through her body, sending all of her nerves on high alert. "I feel like _her_, Finn. I've become _her_."

"Who?" Looking at him quizzically, she wondered how he couldn't see it before. Her biggest fear had come true and no one had even noticed.

"_Shelby_! It's happened, Finn. I'm just like her now." It was true. She had walked the path of her birth mother and wound up in the exact same place. No career in show-business, no stardom, no fame, no family. Nothing to call her own but a glee club that she obsessed over. How had it come to this?

"Rachel, you know that's not true." Finn tried to continue but she cut him off, rudely.

"It _is _true, Finn! I couldn't make it in New York, I couldn't do it alone. And I still can't. You know why I sent the kids home yesterday? Because I was this-close to making them stay until midnight to make sure their lines were clean. This is New Directions! Who cares about clean lines when we're supposed to be having fun?" Finn's eyes never left her frame as she continued her rant. "I never wanted to be like her, Finn. And now I _am_ her."

"Rachel, you need to listen to yourself! You are nothing like Shelby, believe me."

"And how do you know, Finn? You weren't there in New York, to see me fail. You don't know what happened to me after you left!" Her voice cracked with emotion while she remembered the bitter memories of New York.

"Because you won't tell me. I've asked you before."

Her voice became frantic, and she could feel her self-control slipping away from her. This was going to get emotional. "I tried, you know? I didn't give up just because you were gone."

"I would have hoped so." He was trying to be light, but her heart ached too much for any kind of reassurance to work.

"I got dropped from the show and all of a sudden I became the town pariah. No one would hire me, for anything. I tried plays, musicals, commercials, even street performing. At auditions, people would recognize me and laugh in my face, and I would get so embarrassed I wouldn't even audition. It was so _damn_ hard. But I wouldn't stop. I just kept going." The rejection, the humiliation, the pain; it all came rushing back to her as she revisited the anguish of her time in Manhattan. "And every day, I had to come home to the same empty apartment, without anyone to remind me why I was putting myself through all that hell."

"Wait a minute, you never moved out of the apartment?" The shock was clear in his tone and she shook her head softly.

"No, I stayed there the whole time, blaming you for everything and wanting you there at the same time. I was a mess, and it just got harder and harder to keep believing. So I stopped for a while. Gave myself some time away from the theater community, hoping that they would forget about the debacle at the gala. I had a part-time job for the summer and I was planning on auditioning again in the fall. But then I just gave up. Never went back. I changed my plans to college instead, and tried to move on."

"So what happened? What made you quit?" Finn's soft, inquisitive voice almost broke her; she didn't want him to know how pathetic she'd been, but she soldiered on. The feeling of nostalgia was laced with bitterness as she continued her story, falling so deep into her memories it felt like she would never resurface.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She raced up the four flights of stairs to her apartment like there were demons chasing after her; almost losing her shoe on three different floors. When she entered the sweltering hot apartment she immediately drew a cold bath, hoping she could cool down within the next fifteen minutes. She had a show to watch tonight.

The Tony's were on.

She knew it was a little masochistic to keep watching; she hadn't had a part in a Broadway show since Finn moved out five years ago and she hadn't been auditioning lately so she could keep her part-time job at the Gap, but the Tony's were the Tony's! Her favorite award show of the year. She knew that once things calmed down in the fall she would start auditioning again, she just had to make a little money first. It wasn't easy being alone in the big city, trying to make ends meet, but she was doing okay. She would be better if Finn hadn't left her, but she'd been thinking about him too often lately. It was his fault she was in this mess in the first place.

She let the cold bath lower her body temperature so it no longer felt like she was melting in her skin. A large box fan that she had recently purchased circulated the stagnant air in her apartment, making it more habitable and less stifling. She put on her lightest clothes and sat in front of the TV, waiting to catch up on all the Broadway news she'd missed out on in her short absence. She grabbed a pint of Ben and Jerry's to help nurse her wounds as the host bantered about current events. She curled her lip at all the actors and people she recognized, envying them for having what she did not. If only things had gone differently, she could have been one of those ladies in the audience. She tried not to let it get to her while she shoveled the frozen treat down her throat, munching loudly and pouting at the TV.

She almost choked when the camera panned the audience and landed on a dapper and smug-looking Jesse St. James, looking into the camera in his aisle seat and grinning like a fool. A caption along the bottom of the screen said that he was nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and she figured she might as well choke now, because she was never going to live this one down.

That bastard was nominated for a _Tony_.

She straightened herself out, a hacking cough loosening the ice cream from her throat as she breathed in heavily and turned the volume up louder on the TV. His award wouldn't be until the end of the show, so she had plenty of time to steam over it until then. She wanted him to lose, it was the only way her sanity would be in tact by the end of the night. She stuffed her face with more ice cream as the night went on, knowing she was going to have to run from Alphabet City to Harlem and back in order to burn off all those empty calories, and praying that Jesse St. James would lose.

When his award finally came up she jumped off the couch, filled with adrenaline, pacing around her living room and praying to every deity from every religion that he would lose. If he lost, she wouldn't feel like she'd wasted her life in New York, sacrificing her relationship with Finn for nothing. She had trusted Jesse with her career and he'd ruined it; turning her against Finn, making him go off the deep end as well. She didn't want that asshole to win the award she'd been dreaming of since infancy. It just wasn't fair.

But she couldn't stop the way her body crumbled pathetically to the ground when the announcer called his name, a triumphant, exalted grin on his face. He pumped his fist in the air as he strode to the stage, all full of swagger and charm and pride. When he took the award into his hands, she could feel all of her dreams slipping away from her, like sand slipping through the cracks. She would never get another job in New York again with Jesse St. James as the king of the town. Her face scrunched into a mask of rage when he opened his pompous mouth to give his acceptance speech, each syllable cutting into her mercilessly. But as he was wrapping it up, he looked right into the camera, almost as if he knew she as watching, like he wanted to rub it in her face, and served the final blow.

"And finally, I would like to thank an old friend, Rachel Berry, for showing me the difference between dreaming and the inevitable."

He held up his Tony in triumph as Rachel's world crumbled around her in utter humiliation and despair. She shut the TV off, screaming violently, not even caring about the awards for Best Score and Screenplay. She just cried and cried and cried some more, losing all hope for her career and mourning the loss of her dreams.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"That bastard." Finn's low voice snapped her out of her misery and she was startled to find a tear falling down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly and tried to focus again on the present. "Rachel, I had no idea."

"I couldn't do it, Finn. Not by myself. I gave up and there was no one there to encourage me anymore. My dreams seemed so far out of reach because of all the damage that had been done, and I felt like I had no other choice."

"But that doesn't make you Shelby's ghost. You have to let that go, you'll never be like her. You have too much love in your heart, you just need some support. That's why I'm here, Rachel. And I'm never leaving you again."

"I wish you could come back to glee club." Her voice cracked and she wanted him back so badly. No, want wasn't enough; she needed him back. She wanted to be a team with him again. He would support her and she would support him and they would carry the load _together_.

But before Finn could speak again, a knock on the door alerted them to the presence of Principal Ryan, who was looking at the two of them with a curious mix of amusement and disdain. "Come with me, you two. We need to talk." The two educators shared an anxious look of foreboding while Rachel's stomach churned in fear. Why were they being dragged to the principal's office? But as they were following Bryan down the hall, she realized that he was leading them toward the choir room, where all of the glee club was waiting for them.

"It seems like the glee club has called us all into a meeting, and I am curious to see why I had to reschedule my daily massage from the nurse." Finn and Rachel shared a look while she desperately tried to shake out the image of Bryan Ryan getting rubbed down by the ancient, yet large, Ms. McGillicuddy. "What? She has strong hands."

Mitchell stepped forward while the three adults sat down, a projector screen in the middle of the room reminding her of the videos she'd made for the glee club in the past. "Principal Ryan, Mr. Hudson, Ms. Berry, we are here to plead our case as to why Mr. Hudson should be reinstated as co-director."

"Kids. . ." Both Rachel and Finn tried to interject but Principal Ryan put a hand up to stop them.

"I am intrigued. Please continue."

Mitchell took a deep breath, and turned on the projector, reading from the notes in his binder as the machine warmed up. "As you know, Mr. Hudson is no longer the co-director of glee club, and we as a team believe it has caused nothing but suffering throughout the entire group, especially for Ms. Berry." She felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment as Mitchell continued. "And as much as we love her as a teacher and a director, it's clear that things were better when Mr. Hudson was around." She could feel the tears stinging her eyes at the thought that her kids didn't think she could do it alone. They weren't the only ones. "Because she was actually _happy_." Her eyes almost bugged out of her face and it felt like her cheeks were on fire, they were so hot. "And we are here to make a point: That Mr. Hudson and Ms. Berry work best when they're together, and without the both of them, we don't stand a chance." Her jaw was practically on the floor as she absorbed everything her kids were saying.

The first slide came up. It was their glee club yearbook picture, from 2009. "Exhibit A: New Directions, year one. The first year the team was formed under the direction of Will Schuester. At first, the club didn't even have enough members, and by mid-year, Mr. Hudson and Ms. Berry were the co-captains, pulling the team together and earning them their first win at Sectionals." Bryan Ryan looked impressed, while Finn and Rachel were having a heart attack over the facts they dug up.

"How do you kids even know this? We didn't tell you any of these things!" Finn was flabbergasted.

"We called up Mr. Schuester in Toledo and he was more than happy to share the info once we told him everything that happened. He even sent us pictures and video! We just asked you those simple questions so you wouldn't feel out of the loop."

"Gee, thanks." Her voice was pure sarcasm. Mitchell clicked the projector remote and a veritable slide show of New Directions' best moments drifted across the screen.

"They would continue to work together as co-captains for the rest of their time in high-school, keeping the group motivated and focused. They won the first show choir national championship for WMHS since the 90's, and they were the school's most popular couple, being voted 'Couple Most Likely to get Married' as seniors. You could see from these candid pics that they were very much in love." Mitchell's voice went low. "And then they graduated, and I couldn't find anything on them after that." She had to sigh in relief; she would be mortified if anyone here knew about her failures in New York. "Except for a review of a Broadway show, sometime in 2014. A Broadway show starring one, Ms. Rachel Berry!" Suddenly, her face from the review was plastered on the screen, and Rachel wanted to crawl in a hole and die somewhere, she had never felt such embarrassment. The kids all "oohed" and "ahhed" and asked her why she'd never told them. THIS was why she'd never told them! She peeked a glance at Finn and she couldn't decipher his expression, it was too mixed. She could see shock, awe, horror and nostalgia all wrapped into one. "And, a gossip rag article on a fist-fight at a fancy gala between her old co-star, and one unnamed man over a girl." The projector shut off and Mitchell looked at them calmly. "I couldn't find anything on either of you after that, so we could only assume that you two broke up and went your separate ways; only to be reunited here, the same place where you'd met." Were some of the kids actually crying?

Rachel was in pure awe of their sleuthing skills. "How did you find all this stuff?"

"Internet."

"Ah."

At this, other kids in the group started to step forward. "We're not doing this to be nosy, or pry, Ms. Berry. We just want to prove that things were better when you were together so we can have our teachers back."

"We know we went behind your backs and stuff, but we want you two to be happy again, because we know you really care about each other."

"We want you to be happy, coach the glee club, and make babies!"

Andy stepped forward in front of them all, and addressed Principal Ryan directly. "Please Mr. Ryan. We want our coaches back, and we want them to be happy. Give Mr. Hudson another chance."

Principal Ryan looked at the students, then at Finn and Rachel, then back at the students, a steely look on his face the entire time. "I admire your tenacity, kids. You must really love your teachers to do this for them, and I appreciate your efforts." He stood up and Finn and Rachel copied him, waiting anxiously to see if this embarrassing stunt the kids pulled would actually work. "As long as Mr. Hudson and Ms. Berry keep things _professional_, I don't see why you all can't be a team again."

The choir room erupted in screams from both the students and the teachers alike. Rachel had to resist the urge to jump into Finn's arms for a hug; now they had to work harder than ever to keep things professional at school, but it was worth it. "Now, I trust that the both of you will make sure that the group looks wonderful for next Saturday, the 18th!"

Rachel stopped clapping and screaming in joy. Now she wanted to scream in horror. "What did you just say?"

"Saturday, December 18th is the date for Sectionals." The stress must have made her block it all out, how could she forget? Finn placed a hand on her shoulder and her head snapped up in shock.

"Rachel, is something wrong?"

She looked at Finn with terror in her eyes. "Sectionals is on my birthday."

Some of the kids still clapped but Finn looked wary. One of her students asked, "So what's wrong?"

Looking at them sadly, she let her head drop in despair.

"I'm turning 30."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Someone's having a crisis!

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	13. The Big Day

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Rachel's turning thirty! What does that mean for our favorite couple?

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Thirteen: The Big Day**

He walked around the hallways as if he owned the school these days; head held high, a bright smile never faltering on his face. Waving at some students he saw in the halls, he wished he could bottle this feeling and keep it forever. He'd never felt so alive in years, and a random glee melody popped into his head while he stopped by a vending machine to pick up a bottle of water. Tossing it from hand to hand, he started to whistle the melody that was now stuck in his head as he practically flew down the corridors to get to Rachel's office on the far side of the school. When he arrived at the tiny office, he poked his head in to check on his co-director/ex-lover/quasi-new girlfriend, only to find her head buried in sheet music and a frown deeply set onto her face. Normally he would be worried at such an expression, but over the past week he'd gotten used to it.

Entering the tiny room, he plopped the bottle of water down onto her desk as her head shot up in surprise. But when she realized who it was, she just opened the bottle of water and drunk deeply from it, ignoring the happy man in front of her. This had been their little routine since he'd been reinstated as co-director. Buy her water and help nurse Rachel's wounds before the start of the day.

"Well 'Good Morning' to you too!" He feigned offense, but his frown quickly morphed into a smile. "I can't wait until this weekend is over, Winter Holidays are going to start and I can go back to normal. I can't be this cheery all the time, its exhausting."

Rachel practically snarled into the bottle of water, and the sarcasm was thick in her tone. "I'm so sorry, Finn, that you have to force yourself to be happy for my benefit. I'm sort of going through a crisis here!" She took another liberal sip of water and Finn sat in front of her desk, waiting for her to calm down so they could have a normal conversation.

"I'm not just being happy for your benefit, Rach, it's for the kids too. Someone has to look like their world isn't falling apart around them the week before Sectionals."

"My world _is_ falling apart, Finn!" She practically moaned and he was reminded of a less mature Rachel from his youth; the one who wouldn't get her tonsils removed because she "needed applause to live!" "I am turning thirty, Finn. _Thirty_. My youth is slipping away through my fingers, I can feel it." She lifted up her hands for dramatic effect and looked at him with her wounded-doe eyes. He had to resist the urge to roll his own eyes. No one could be a drama queen quite like Rachel Berry.

"Rachel, you _do_ know that I am already thirty, right?" Her eyes became shifty and she put the bottle of water to her lips, pretending to feign ignorance. "And I'm still kicking. You know it's not that bad, it's just going to take some time to get used to."

"Well maybe I don't want to get used to it!" Her hand slammed onto the table and Finn was shocked with the tantrum he was witnessing. Finn hadn't seem Rachel flip out over something like this since the time he'd wanted to name their goldfish Pantera. After a diva fit of massive proportions, the goldfish was dubbed Lupone. But since it had been over a decade since he'd seen her act so crazy, he was starting to get worried. Maybe she _was_ going through a really hard time. Sure, it was quite inconvenient to see it happen the days leading to sectionals, but he had to try to remedy the situation. The kids couldn't perform if their director was going through a crisis, and Finn wanted the two of them to be a team in every way. He had to find some way to make her feel better about her birthday and turning thirty. Reaching across the desk, he took her hand in his, rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs, gently.

"Rachel, talk to me. Tell me what's so wrong with turning thirty." She tried to pull her hand from his grasp and he held onto it even tighter, not allowing her to let go. He saw her lower lip start to tremble and he could recognize the signs: the tell-tale signs that Rachel was this-close to bursting with emotion. When her eyes turned watery, he lifted up his lips in the crooked half-smile she'd always loved, and the meltdown commenced in full.

"There were so many things I wanted to do!" She wailed in anguish, and Finn got up to close her office door, not wanting other people to eavesdrop on their important conversation. He sat on the corner of her desk, trying to absorb everything. "Where did all the time go, you know? You left me when I was 19, so everything that happened in my 20's was my own; my actions belonged to me. And I feel like I wasted it all away."

"Rachel, you lived in New York. You went to college, you had a job. You _lived_. It was more than most of these Lima losers could say for themselves." It was even more than he could say for himself, and he took turning 30 in stride.

"No, Finn, you don't _get it_." breathing deeply, she shook her head sadly, wiping away her tears haphazardly while trying to keep eye contact with him. "I want what Tina and Artie have. I wanted to be _married_ by now. Who's going to marry a crazy washed-up, thirty-year-old diva with control issues? No one with an ounce of common sense!" She was practically wailing now, and Finn was so caught up in what she'd just said that he let her hand slip from his own as she cried into them. "And then if I ever do get married I wont have kids until I'm, like, thirty-five or something! Which would make me 60 when they graduate from college! _My life is over!_" She continued to wail while Finn's head continued to swim around the concept of marriage and Rachel's emotional logic.

"Rachel." He said her name calmly, but she whipped out a mirror and lost herself in her reflection, ignoring him.

"Does it look like I have crow's feet, yet?"

"Rachel."

"I was never one to support Botox, but maybe I should try it."

"Rachel!" He said her name more forcefully this time and she finally looked at him again. "You need to relax."

"How can I relax when I can feel my youth, my very essence, draining from my body?"

"I have an idea." She looked at him miserably and he had to suppress a smile at her adorable pout. "Tomorrow, we have Sectionals, right?" Nodding her head, he continued. "Well, afterwards, how would you like to go out on a date with me?"

"A date?" She said the word like it was almost foreign, even though they'd been on lunch dates before.

"Yup, and I don't mean giant pretzels in the park or lunch in the food court. I mean a real, fancy, _adult_, date. Something we've never had before."

Suddenly, the frown started to melt from her face until the ghost of a smile was present on her lips. "Really?" Her voice was light and hopeful, and it made him pause. In all the years they'd known each other, they'd never been on a _real_ fancy date before; they'd never had the money. But now as two adults with careers and stable paychecks, he was going to show her the nicest date possible. He started to plan it all out in his head; he was going to need reservations, chocolate, wine; the works. Plenty of good food and good alcohol, nothing beat the birthday blues better.

"Really. I am going to prove to you that life doesn't end at thirty." He got up, walking over to her and placing a lingering kiss on her cheek. "And that there's at least one person who wouldn't mind marrying a smart, unique, talented and not-at-all washed up thirty-year-old diva with control issues."

When he inched away from her, the look on her face was a curious mix of shock and horror. "You really mean that?"

He shrugged his shoulders playfully, a grin set on his face. "Haven't I always? Remember, Rach, I wanted to marry you first." He winked at her and the glowing smile on her face was the proof that he'd done his job well this morning. Making Rachel feel better was becoming a valuable skill. "I have to get to class, but I will see you at rehearsal today, right."

"Right." The spark was back in her eyes and she looked determined to carry on with her day, the bottle of water going untouched on the corner of her desk. He turned around to leave and paused when he heard her soft voice call out his name. "Finn?" Turning around, he was more than happy to pull Rachel into his chest for a giant hug. Resting his chin on top of her head, he wished it was already tomorrow night. "Thank you." Oh yeah, he had the _mad_ skills to make Rachel feel better.

"Anytime, Rachel." He furrowed his brow in confusion when he felt her shake her head into his chest.

"No, not for the water and the pep talk. For this." And for the first time since the debacle at Invitationals, their lips met in a kiss that was fueled by need; the need to be close and feel loved. For the moment, he didn't care if it was wrong and against the school rules; he was ready to seize the fucking day as his lips crashed against hers over and over again. Hands splayed across the small of her back, he'd missed the simple way she fit into his arms and sighed blissfully against his lips. But before the kiss could get too intense, which was already a little too late, they pulled apart, not wanting to get caught again. "Thank you for never letting go of this feeling." For ten years, he tried to wish away the feelings he still held for Rachel. For the first time in his life, he was lucky his heart was so damn stubborn. One last time, his lips pressed against hers and he knew that if he didn't leave her office now, he never would.

"It never went away, even when I wanted it to. Face it, Rachel, you're stuck with me for life."

She didn't look like she minded all that much.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Checking his hair in the vanity for the millionth time, Finn straightened out his tie and appraised himself with a critical eye. As much as he disliked suits, he didn't look so bad in one. He went around the room and helped the other boys with their own ties, making sure each guy looked as sharp and spiffy as possible.

"Mr. Hudson, can you help me with this?" Mitchell's tie looked like it was choking him, and Finn rushed over to his to fix the boy's costume. He clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder when he was finished.

"There you go, buddy. All better. You know, I never thanked you for getting me back on the team. It was really mature of you."

Was that the beginning of a blush on Mitchell's face? "Well, you know, I felt bad and stuff. I never meant to hurt anyone, and I really was sorry." However, the malicious glint returned to his eyes, contradicting his previous statement. "But I knew I was right! You and Ms. Berry are smokin' together. You two should, like, get married or something."

"I'm working on it, Mitch. I'm working on it."

Before long, Rachel knocked on the boys dressing room door and the girl's entered in their costumes, ready to warm up for the big day. Rachel came right up to him and took his hand in front of the kids, making him feel like the proud papa of his glee family.

It was a feeling he could get used to.

"Okay guys! This is it. The moment we've been waiting for since September." Rachel's voice commanded attention, and yesterday's issues with her birthday seemed to be long gone. "This is the only road block between us and Regionals, and all we have to do is go out there and show them what New Directions is made of!"

"But what if we lose?" Finn stepped forward with Rachel at his side and he'd never felt more confident in his kids.

"Who cares? All that matters is that you guys go out there and have fun. The winning is just the icing on the cake." The kids started to exit the dressing room and head for the backstage area while Rachel leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

"You know, I think we could write a book on 'cheesy inspirational jargon.' We have a talent for it." He looked down at her and scoffed playfully.

"Do you _remember_ who our glee coach was? Schuester was like a walking ball of cheesiness; we learned from the best." He wrapped an arm around her, not caring who saw because they were miles away from school property. "How are you feeling today? Is it even safe to wish you 'Happy Birthday'?" She fixed him with an angry look but shrugged her shoulders with nonchalance.

"I'm trying not to think about it, I'm more focused about the kids. How about you say it at dinner?"

"Deal." They followed the kids backstage, where they were all waiting to get into position. The group formed a circle, and he could see the excitement and nervousness written on each and every one of their faces. "Alright, guys, this is it. Ms. Berry and I are going to take our seats, and we want to say goodbye."

"Break a leg, kids!" Would he ever hear those words and _not_ think about how much he loved Rachel?

Probably not.

"Hands in, guys! 'New Directions' on three. One! Two! Three!"  
_  
__"NEW DIRECTIONS!"_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"You lie! Why do you lie, liar?" Finn teased Rachel playfully as he went to refill their drinks with their third bottle of wine. She giggled uncontrollably, mostly because of the alcohol, but also because his teasing was relentless. "There is no way that fish is still alive."

"I am not a liar!" She was able to spit out through the giggles. "Lupone is still alive! She's sitting on my desk as we speak."

"Then we should call the _Guinness Book of World Records_ because that has to be the oldest goldfish alive." Her giggles continued and he had to laugh himself, it was so good to see Rachel this happy. The night was young, they had plenty to drink, and he had a huge show choir trophy in the back seat of his car that was reason enough to celebrate until dawn. Their dinner was going exactly as planned; he'd made reservations for them at one of the most expensive restaurants in town, and he didn't care if this dinner was going to cost him a whole paycheck, it was worth it. He'd never been able to take her out like this before, and Rachel was the kind of person who deserved it all; fancy dinners, nights on the town. He was going to show her a good time even if it cost him an arm and a leg. "And Lupone is a boy, which is why Pantera would have made the better name."

A fire was lit in her eyes and she leaned forward with her hands pressed on the table. "You don't know that! And besides, that fish had the grace of a ballerina."

"It's a fish. Fish aren't graceful."

"Lupone is!" She placed her hands on her hips in the fish's defense and he couldn't stop himself. The laughter was peeling out of him and the alcohol was making it hard to control himself. She started to laugh as well, the sound of it like a symphony to his ears. She smiled brightly at him and lifted her glass to him, "Thank you for a wonderful dinner, Finn. It was amazing."

He lifted up his glass as well. "Anything, Rachel. Happy Birthday."

Instead of frowning or crying or throwing a fit, she just smiled, blushed, and killed off the rest of her wine. "Thank you."

The check came after dessert, where Finn bought Rachel chocolate-covered strawberries and fed them to her. They polished off the third and final bottle of wine and Finn hadn't been this drunk in a long time. Sure, he drank every week, but wine was different. That shit was potent if you had too much, and he and Rachel drank almost a bottle and a half _each_. As they stumbled out of the restaurant, Rachel led them in the opposite direction of his car.

"Where you going, Rach?"

"Let's go to Shakey's!" She just ate a gourmet meal that cost him half a paycheck and she wanted to go to their crappy bar?

"Why?"

"I want to drink more! And see Noah!" She was currently doing rond-de-jambes in the middle of the road, and he wasn't so sure more alcohol was a great idea, but it was her birthday, and he couldn't fault her for being _thirsty_.

"Okay." So he took her by the hand and started to twirl her in the street, holding her close to him and swaying to the music that only he could hear. He was pretty sure it was just the sound of his heart beating, but it had quite the rhythm section.

They walked into Shakey's and immediately Rachel ran behind the bar and threw her arms around Puck, scaring him and making him drop a glass on the floor. "Noah! Hi Noah!" Finn laughed as Puck's eyebrows got lost somewhere on his forehead in shock, and he looked at Rachel like she was certifiable.

"What the fuck, Berry? You smell like a brewery." Rachel peeled herself away from Puck and Finn would have been jealous if he wasn't so drunk.

"We won, Noah! New Directions can still kick ass and take names! WHOO!" She started to scream with her fists pumped in the air, and Puck had to forcibly pull her away from him, and sat her down on a bar stool.

"Finn, man, Jeez, control this girl."

"I'm no longer a girl, Noah Puckerman, I am a _woman_! A thirty year old _adult_!" She poked him in the chest a few times and Finn sat next to her quietly, hoping she was stable enough to stay seated on the stool. Thankfully, she still had her equilibrium. Puck looked at him like the sane one, even though he was just as smashed.

"Today is her birthday, Puck. Get her whatever she wants." She slammed her fists down playfully, smiling and chanting _"more wine, more wine"_ over and over again.

"Are you sure about that, bro?" He shrugged his shoulders as Rachel interrupted them.

"Listen to the man, Puckerman! He knows what he's talking about." Puck put his hands up in defeat while he pulled out a bottle of wine and poured them both a glass. He even poured himself one and made a toast to her.

"To Rachel Berry, the craziest girl I've ever known."

"CHEERS!" She said enthusiastically and downed half the glass in one gulp while Puck looked on in shock. Finn sipped his and laughed at his friend.

This was going to be a long night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"You lie! Why do you lie, liar?" This time, it was Rachel's turn to be incredulous while Finn tried to talk her into believing him. They were taking trips down memory lane, going through crazy thing's they'd done in their youth, and Rachel just could not believe that he'd gotten a tattoo when he turned 24.

"I am not lying! Puck was a witness, in fact, it was his idea." Puck smirked at them from across the bar while they continued to drink and drink and drink.

"It's true. We got drunk one night and decided to be badasses. We both went home that night with tats, even though mine was way more kick-ass than Finn's." He lifted up his shirt and Finn could see the two Great White sharks he'd had tattooed onto his hip-bones, swimming in the direction of his crotch. "These are my sex sharks." Puck wiggled his eyebrows and Rachel looked unimpressed.

"Well, you, Noah, of course would have a tattoo. But I won't believe that Finn has one until I see it." She was so adorable when she was being stubborn.

"Fine. But only because it's your birthday" Normally, the tattoo stayed hidden. It had been such an irrational decision of his youth that he normally didn't let people know that he'd even had a tattoo. But for Rachel, he would show her. Finn took off his tie and jacket, making Rachel's eyes almost bug out of her face as he removed his shirt in the middle of the bar. A while cotton undershirt was all he was wearing on top as he pulled up the sleeve and showed her the small tribal arm-band he had tattooed on his upper right bicep. Her mouth puckered into a little "o" as her fingers trailed along the skin of his arm, tracing the patterns of the tat. He shivered lightly under the soft touches, and he could see the fire lighting in her eyes.

"I want one." Her voice was low and her eyes were still transfixed on his arm.

"No you don't, it's just the alcohol talking." She pulled her hands away from his arm and looked at him like she was wounded.

"No, it's not! I want one, and I want one now. Come on, let's go!" She grabbed her bag and headed for the door, not even letting Finn finish his last glass of wine.

"Hey, wait, Rachel!" He apologized to Puck and threw some money on the bar for their drinks, telling his friend he'd see him soon. When he exited the bar he could see Rachel walking towards the West Lima Strip Mall, where the lights for "Tommy's Tattoo's" were shining brightly. He jogged up to Rachel, knowing that this wasn't just the alcohol talking; she wanted to do this, right now. "Rachel, wait!"

She stopped and waited for him, taking his hand in hers and walking in silence towards the tattoo parlor. When they entered it together, a large man with full sleeves of tattoos on both of his arms greeted them warmly, and Rachel went straight up to him with pep in her step.

"Good evening, sir. I am here to inquire about a tattoo." Finn almost face-palmed himself, right then and there.

"What are you looking for?" The man had a scraggly beard and a ruddy face, but he sounded nice enough. "I have plenty of books that you can look through." He reached for the books filled with his past work and Rachel politely stopped him.

"A picture is not really what I'm going for. I want words." Finn's face scrunched up in confusion. Words? Was she getting a song tattooed onto her or something? That seemed very Rachel. She looked at the calligraphy and picked out a style.

"I want this font across my back, from one shoulder blade to another, the script as loopy and elegant as possible." She stood with the man in front of the mirror as he wrote down exactly what she wanted.

"What's it gonna say?"

With this, Rachel made eye contact with Finn from across the shop, addressing the artist but making sure he knew she was secretly talking to him.

"I want it to say: 'We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.'"

His eyes never left hers as the meaning of the tattoo hit him in more ways than one. The man walked her over to the chair and she removed her top, exposing her back to the tattoo artist and Finn. The artist adjusted the chair so she could lay on her stomach. She called Finn's name and he walked to her other side, crouching down to meet her at eye level.

"Are you sure about this, Rachel? Tattoos are permanent and painful, and you are more than just a little bit drunk."

"I'm sure, Finn. I want this. Will you stay with me?"

"Of course."

So he held her hand the entire time, squeezing extra hard when he saw her wince and catching the errant tears that were trailing down her face. He could see her grit her teeth but she held on, not crying out in pain once the entire time. He was going to have to rub this in Puck's face forever; he cried like a pansy when he got his shark tats because they were right on the bone.

When the artist was finished, he gauzed up her back, giving her an aloe-based gel to use on the area until it was healed. She looked more than happy with it, and left the tattoo parlor in the best mood he'd seen all night. And this was after winning sectionals!

"So what do you want to do, Rachel? It's getting late." She shrugged her shoulders while smiling brightly and ignored his question. They walked down the streets of Lima hand in hand, and when they got back to Finn's car, she kissed him full on the mouth without preamble or abandon. She tasted like wine and strawberries and he never wanted to stop kissing her. He was still drunk, and he called them a taxi while he got the trophy out of his car, not wanting to leave it there overnight. The taxi pulled up and when the driver asked for an address, Rachel directed the man towards his apartment without blinking an eye.

The night wasn't over yet.

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Salut mes amis!

Rachel can be feisty when she gets some wine in her!

Until Next Time *sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	14. The Big Night

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Sorry this took so long, but you know I never disappoint. Enjoy!

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Fourteen: The Big Night**

Rachel was drunk. She was so so so _so_ drunk and her back was sore and the world was kind of spinning around her, but it was okay, because Finn was there to keep her from falling over. _Finn_, oh what would she be doing on this night without Finn at her side? Probably home, alone, in her childhood bedroom with her childhood fears of loneliness and solitude eating away at her fragile thirty-year-old self-esteem. Instead, Finn Hudson was at her side, unflinchingly, straddling a giant sectionals show choir trophy in between the two of them in the backseat of a taxi. Wait, when had they gotten in the taxi? Was it before or after she kissed him?

Her brain was a blurry mess of thoughts as the taxi weaved down the dark and empty streets of Lima towards his apartment. She was leaning forward, resting her weight on her knees so she didn't have to lean her back against the rough seats. Her back was throbbing, but the pain was dulled out buy the wine. She kept peeking glances at him from the backseat, watching him fiddle with his keys and adjust the tie he so haphazardly threw on after she'd run out of the bar. The silence stretched between them in the back seat; they didn't say a word to each other because they didn't want to break the spell that had been cast over them on that night. They wanted to keep this feeling alive, so they could hold onto it and let it fuel the second half of their night. They felt young, they felt free, and they knew that it wasn't just because of the alcohol, even though it helped. She hadn't felt like this in, well, ten years. And she missed it so much. Now that she had it back, she never wanted to let it go.

The taxi stopped in front of Finn's apartment, and she watched with blurry vision as Finn gave the driver some money. He pulled the giant trophy out of the back seat first, then went around to the other side of the car to help Rachel get out. She stumbled on her heels, feeling clumsy and embarrassed while trying to balance herself. Losing her balance completely, she fell forward into Finn; his long, strong arms catching her and keeping her cushioned in his broad chest. His deep chuckles reverberated around her as the taxi sped away, leaving the two of them standing outside of his apartment, alone.

She looked up into his face and could make out his smile in the dim streetlights; soft, sensual, seductive. As easy as it was to revert back into the schoolgirl of her youth, they were now adults, and they were too old to play coy with one another. There was a reason she was here and not home in bed. And all six-foot three-inches of her reason was smiling at her like he couldn't wait to get her inside. His head bent down and he placed a searing hot kiss on her lips; wild, strong, almost bruising her lips from the force. It knocked the wind out of her and left her feeling more dizzy than ever before. Finn had been an angel to her over the past few days, but now he was showing her glimpses of the devil that was waiting to be released.

"Rachel. . ." He whispered her name in the night; hard, gritty, his voice was like sandpaper, stealing her breath in-between kisses and making her nerves singe with heat. She clutched onto his dress shirt, the buttons askew, rubbing her hands up his chest and linking her fingers around his neck. "Let's go inside." He almost purred the words to her and she wanted to fan herself she felt so warm at the moment. She almost forgot is was winter. Standing out in the December chill, she nodded her head furiously against his as their lips never left the others for a second. She could hear his keys jingle in his hand as he pulled away from her, picking up the trophy and heading towards the door. She followed after him, peeking her head around the small space he called his own.

And boy, was it small. All she could see was a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room; it was even smaller than the apartment they'd shared together in NYC. At least that place had a bedroom; Finn's apartment was so small she couldn't even find a proper closet. Where did he sleep? She watched from the corner of her eye as he placed the trophy in the kitchen and came back out with another bottle of wine, and two glasses. She didn't know how much she'd already had, but she was more than happy to indulge in more. The deep red Cabernet swirled in her glass as he passed to her, and they both raised their glasses to the other before bringing them to their lips.

"To an amazing night." He said with a smile, no elaboration needed.

"Cheers." She said quietly as the glasses clinked softly. She sipped the wine, never breaking eye contact with Finn as his gaze hypnotized her with it's intensity. She knew what was going to happen, and she welcomed it more than anything. How long had it been since she'd even been with a guy? Almost a year, at least. It was a dry spell that depressed her, and as she stood in the smoldering gaze of her once lover, she was reminded of the times that they'd once shared together. The emotions that were elicited in her in that moment were enough to almost knock her over with their intensity. Sex with Finn had always been mind-blowing, and she was more than ready to feel that again.

With the way he was eye-fucking her, she was sure he wanted to feel it too.

They drank some more, killing off another half of a bottle before he reached over and tried to pull her onto the couch. She realized that it was a futon, and that Finn lived in the tiniest studio apartment she'd ever been in. While that might not have been the most romantic or charming bed ever, she was still more than happy to be here with him; the alcohol swirling inside of her and making her feel warm and fuzzy. In fact, she didn't know what was making her fuzzier: the alcohol, or the way Finn was staring at her. As he was pulling at her, trying to press their bodies as close as possible and soaking up every drop of the other, her wine slipped out of her hands and fell all over her cream colored blouse.

"Oh no!" She screamed, placing the glass down on the small table by the TV. She knew the shirt was a goner: there was no way she was ever going to get red wine out of a cream colored silk blouse. Finn had run to get towels to clean up the wine that had fallen on the floor, and Rachel started to unbutton her blouse.

"Finn, do you have something I can wear for the time being?" Her speech was a bit slurred, and she was unfamiliar with the layout of the tiny apartment. She knew she wouldn't be wearing clothes for _too_ much longer, but she wanted to get out of the formal clothes she'd been wearing all day and into something comfortable. She unbuttoned her blouse, hoping the wine wouldn't soak through to her bra. He was preoccupied with cleaning the wine off of the floor, and he pointed at a dresser in the far corner of the room.

"Yeah, there should be t-shirts and stuff in there if you want." She made her way over to the dresser, drunkenly stumbling over her own two feet as her stained shirt hung haphazardly off her shoulders. She opened the drawers and started to search through his clothes, his scent practically punching her in the face. She'd always loved the way he smelled. Part of her kind of wanted to bury her head in there and never come out.

She searched through the shirts, her fingers brushing across something smooth and glossy at the bottom of the drawer. It was paper, she realized, and she dug through his shirts, feeling curious. What would Finn be keeping in his drawers? She realized too late that it might be porn or something, but when she looked at the papers in her hands, she almost dropped them in shock.

Playbills. Dozens of dozens of playbills were scattered along the bottom of his drawer, and she could recognize every single one of them, the titles jumping out at her in the dim light of the room.

She had found his ancient collection of her old playbills, her signature standing out on the glossy covers of each book. After all these years, after everything they had been through, he had _kept_ them. And she knew, deep down, that it wasn't just so he could sell them on eBay one day.

"Rachel, did you find what you were looking for?" His words sunk into her brain slowly, as she processed the playbills in front of her. She turned around to him, her blouse still hanging off of her with the playbills in her hands and questions in her eyes. He saw the booklets in her hands and he froze, staring at them like it actually had been porn that she'd found.

"Finn, what are you doing with these?" Her voice sounded so small; her bubbly confidence from before had flown out of the window the moment she realized that he had kept them. She felt vulnerable, now, like any word he said could break her.

"I, uh," Rubbing the back of his neck with his hands, he looked at her guiltily. "I kept them."

"I can see that, but why?"

"Because, I've always been your biggest fan. And I always will be." His voice was low as he stared at her from across the room, the heat gathering in the pit of her stomach and making her feel warmer than ever. Dropping the playbill collection back into the drawer, she walked right up to him with her shirt half off and pulled his face down to hers so she could kiss him; so she could show him how much this had meant to her. After all this time, even though he'd been hundreds of miles away from her and bitter from their rocky past, he had never stopped believing in her. Even when she'd stopped believing in herself. His hands slipped under her open shirt and he pulled the stained blouse off of her shoulders in one fluid motion. Finn had unfolded his futon while he was cleaning the wine, so Rachel felt herself being pulled towards the bed, and she let him. The skin-on-skin contact set her blood on fire, and she wanted more, needed more. It wasn't enough.

Pulling at his clothes, she was able to slip his shirt off, breaking their kiss for a nanosecond so he could undress himself. Staring down her ex with appraising eyes, he was still just as toned and broad as he was in his twenties. If she was being honest with herself, she would have to admit that he looked better now than he ever did. His rough, five-o-clock shadow scratched against her face as he kissed her like it was the air he breathed. She ran her fingers through his hair as his hands roamed everywhere, making he skin blaze with heat from the simplest touches. They needed to get more clothes off, now.

"Finn. . ." She cried out as his lips left hers and attached themselves to the sensitive skin of her neck. She rolled her head back as he softly sucked and bit the skin of her throat, making her shiver under his hands. She reached for her skirt and started to unzip it, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties. His hands reached around her to pull her closer, while his fingers accidentally grazed the gauze on her back, covering the tattoo. The pain was sharp and instantaneous, and even though it went away just as quick as it came, Finn still looked upset that he'd forgotten about it.

"It's okay, it's not your fault you forgot." She said it with a soft smile, trying to ease the tension away from him and return to what they were doing. "We just have to be careful." With this, Finn got a devilish look in his eyes and lifted Rachel clear off the floor and into his arms, her legs wrapping around his chest while his hands supported her on her ass. She got a thrill out of being eye level with him, and loved the way his hands felt on her, both holding her steady and groping the hell out of her. She loved it. The kissing continued, and even though Finn was still wearing too much, he leaned back until he was sitting on the corner of the futon, Rachel straddling his lap and pressing up against him as much as she could. His hands roamed her lower back, trying to stay away from the tattoo, and she wanted Finn more and more by the second. He finally broke the kiss when he felt her reaching for the fly of his pants, ready to get the party started.

"Are you sure about this Rachel? We're both pretty drunk." Yeah, there was a slur to his voice and she felt like she drank her own weight in wine, but she wanted this. She needed this.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She was drunk, but at least she was still rational. "Do you have protection?" She had gone off the pill years ago, after she'd stopped dating for a while. New York was a shitty town to find guys. Finn shot off the futon while Rachel waited patiently for him to find something. When he came back with a smile, she wouldn't even give him a second to be comfortable before she reached for his pants.

It was a flurry of hands and fabric and moans and sighs as they pulled each other's clothes off, reveling in the feeling of skin on skin and practically buzzing from their proximity. It had been so long, so fucking long. . .

She was amazed at how much had stayed the same. His hand still fit perfectly over her breasts as his hands trailed over her body, igniting a fire inside of her with his touches. His kisses were so passionate, so pure, she almost started to cry. How could she have given up a lover like Finn Hudson? He made her feel beautiful in an ugly world, and he gave her light in the darkness. If only she had known that ten years ago, she never would have let him go.

For a second, they didn't know what to do next. Rachel's back was sore from the tattoo, so she couldn't lay down on her back at all. So she crawled forward until he was leaning back, and crawled on top of him, using his shoulders as leverage. Pressing up against him, their bodies flushed and searing with heat, she knew that this was it. There was no turning back after this. Kissing him softly, trying to pour all the love that had been dormant inside of her for ten years, she moved her hips around until she could feel him gliding into her, the fluttering pressure building into something beautiful. She watched as his eyes rolled into the back of his head as she slowly slipped onto him, her body almost singing from the pleasure. His grip on her tightened, and she felt his hands move to her hips so he could guide her to the rhythm. Before either of them started to move, they made eye contact with each other, blatantly sharing the need they felt with the other. Finn's pupils were dilated, and the lust in his eyes was melting her from the inside-out.

"I love you, Rachel." He whispered it into the semi-darkness of the room, giving her chills all the way up her back and down her arms. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or the sex that was making him say it, but she could tell that he meant it.

"I love you too, Finn." Had she ever stopped loving Finn Hudson? All those years of blaming him and being bitter about their relationship was just a front to forget about how much she'd loved him. The emotion had been dormant inside of her for so long, now it was just aching to be released. And now that she had him back, she would rather be dead then let go of him again.

He pulled at her hips while she started to ride him slowly, almost torturous, his straining muscles and low moans the only indication that he was enjoying this as much as she was. Rachel had to resist screaming out loud as she picked up the pace and got comfortable with being on top. Finn purposely avoided her tattoo as he held onto her body, burying his face in her shoulder while she continued to grind and roll her hips around in delicious pleasure.

The fire inside of her was intense, burning slowly until it got hotter and hotter, threatening to singe her whole. His lips met hers in a kiss that almost bruised her as he held her by the waist, lifting her up while he got on his knees to brace himself. She wrapped her legs around him and thrilled at the strength he possessed. Holding her in his arms with nothing she could brace herself against, it was Finn who started to push and pull her hips, over and over again, and this time it was she who had to now keep up. She met his thrusts, deeper and deeper as the fire began to blaze uncontrollably, her body feeling like it was burning to cinder. She could feel it building inside her, a soft yet pleasant heat started to build in her until it spread from her fingers to her toes, engulfing her in pleasure as Finn continued to thrust and pound into her, trying to find his own release. Her orgasm hit her like a mack truck, powerful and strong, as her body seized in pleasure in Finn's arms. As the stars in her eyes began to fade, she could feel him thrust once more into her before he slumped onto her shoulders, a light sweat dripping onto her skin. He began to kiss the skin on her shoulder, pulling out of her but still holding onto her like she was his last lifeline. When he finally lifted up his head, the look on his face was pure bliss.

"Wow, Rach. . .that was. . .whoa." She wanted to pat herself on the back. Sure, she hadn't gotten laid in almost a year, but she still had the power to drive Finn Hudson wild. And with the way he was sweating and panting, she had never felt so powerful.

Or drunk.

She was exhausted after such a long day. First sectionals, then a night out drinking with Finn, then all the hot sex; she was more than a little tired. But she wanted _more_. It was still her birthday, after all, and even if she didn't remember this in the morning from all the alcohol, she wanted to live in the moment.

"Let's do it again." She practically purred into his ear as she felt him stiffen underneath her again. He probably wanted it just as much as she did, and she was not going to pass up a night of sex with Finn Hudson.

"Okay." He went to the bathroom quickly and returned, practically pouncing on her as he gathered her up into his arms again. Sighing blissfully, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of Finn Hudson and his love.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There wasn't much light peeking into the small apartment, but Rachel had to cover her entire head with her pillow to block out the brightness as her sensitive eyes adjusted to the morning sun. Her head pounded like there were jackhammers inside of her brain, a steady pounding throb that almost made her nauseous. What the hell did she _do_ last night? And how much had she drunk?

Rolling over, all she wanted to do was hide away from the bright lights again, but when she rolled onto her back, she almost screamed from the pain. When she shot up in bed only to find herself in the bed of another man, she literally screamed from the shock.

"Hey, hey." The large body that was sleeping next to her rolled over and she realized in an instant that it was Finn. Feeling relieved that it wasn't a stranger, she covered her heart with her hands, trying to get it to stop pounding. What the hell had happened last night? She covered her naked chest with the sheet as Finn sat up in bed, pulling her to him groggily. "What's the matter, baby?" Her heart would not stop pounding as she took a second to try to remember the events of last night. They had won Sectionals, that she remembered. She could remember the kids on stage, jumping around like they'd won the lottery. She could remember the hidden kiss between Sam and Andy that she'd witnessed backstage after they'd been awarded their trophy. She could remember Mitchell teasing them as they left together from the school to go out to their dinner.

Dinner. That's where things started to get fuzzy. She could remember drinking liberally, killing off bottle after bottle of wine. She could remember his dessert of chocolate covered strawberries, but after that, things got jumbled. "What happened last night, Finn?" She turned to him and the look on his face almost broke her heart, he looked so sad.

"You don't remember? I mean, my memory is a bit fuzzy in some spots too. . ."

"No, I do, just not everything." The pain in her back increased steadily the more she talked. "Why does my back hurt so much?"

"You got a tattoo last night, Rachel. You don't remember?" In a rush of memory, she could remember Puck describing his tattoos and Finn showing her his own at the bar. She remembered entering the small shop with Finn and having him at her side, holding her hand. She remembered it, but she wasn't very proud of her decision.

"Oh, right. OK. I remember now." The quote that she'd always loved was now written on her back permanently. It was okay, she just wished that it didn't hurt so much. "We slept together." It was a statement, and not a question.

"Yeah, we did." He said it with a grin on his face as he pulled her as close to him as the space would allow. "And it was pretty amazing. I hope you remembered that part."

A blush erupted on her face as the hazy memories from the night before returned. "We used protection, right?"

He looked like he wasn't sure. "Um, I think so. . ." He got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He came back out with a smile on his face. "No worries, there was a used condom in the garbage. We're good." Well, that was a weight off of her shoulders, she wouldn't have to stop by planned parenthood on the way home. "You know, if your memory is a bit fuzzy, we can recreate what happened last night, this time with less wine." She had to smile as she let the blankets slip away from her, exposing her body to him while lust burned in his eyes.

"I would love to catch up on ten years of missed out sex, but I should go. The next few days are going to be hell for me."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm finally moving out of my father's house! I saved up enough money since September for the deposit and first months rent. I have to pack up my stuff, the move is in two days." She got off the bed to gather her things, noticing that her shirt was stained and her other clothes were spread around the room. It was only after she saw the old playbills on the floor when she remembered what she'd seen from the night before. The fact that he'd kept them after all this time still warmed her heart. He had always believed in her, so from now on, she would always believe in him. Looking around at his small apartment, she got an instant idea. An idea she shouldn't really be thinking of because she knew it would be disastrous, but she couldn't keep it out of her head. She got dressed in one of his old tshirts and shorts that practically swam on her while he made them coffee. Before she could even take a sip, the words blurted out of her mouth so quickly there was no time for her to even process them.

"Move in with me."

He spit out his mouthful of coffee, some of it dripping off of his chin as he coughed uncontrollably. Rachel had to stifle a laugh while he looked like he was about to choke.

"What?"

"I'm serious. Move in with me. This apartment is a closet, and I know you wish you had more space. We can share the rent, thus saving money, and we can spend time together without having to pencil it in."

"But Rachel. . ." He looked like he didn't want to, which was understandable, even though it stung like a bitch. "I don't think that's what's best for us right now. I don't want us to fall back into old patterns, you know?" She nodded her head slowly, whipping out her cell phone to call herself a taxi. She gave them the address while Finn looked at her nervously. She tried to ignore the sting of tears at his rejection, and gathered up as much of her pride as she could muster.

"Well, thanks for an amazing night, Finn. It was one of the best birthdays I've ever had." Her voice was detached, but as much as she was hurting now from his rejection, she still had to admit that last night had been a blast. But she'd thought that they'd reconnected in the best way possible last night, and that he would want to go back to the way things were. A hazy memory of them whispering "I love you" to each other was there in her mind, and she thought it meant that things were back to the way it used to be. Apparently not.

Before she could make it out of the door with the rest of her dignity, she felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her towards the man who continued to make her life a roller coaster after all this time. "Can I call you over the break?" Today was the first official day of vacation until after New Year's, and she knew she wouldn't see him for weeks if they didn't keep in touch. She smiled timidly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah. Call me." He leaned over to place a lingering kiss on her cheek and all she could think about was how it just wasn't enough.

"Happy Birthday."

"Thanks, Finn." And as the taxi driver beeped his horn, she leaned forward to place the smallest of kisses on his lips, wishing that it was somehow enough for her. But it wasn't and she had to pull herself away, grabbing the sectionals trophy on her way out. "I'm taking this!" She yelled behind her as she dragged the trophy to her car.

It would look much nicer in her new apartment anyway.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Where do they go from here?

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk

PS: MINSKY HAS A TUMBLR! FOLLOW ME, the link is on my authors profile!


	15. The Discovery

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy. :)

A/N: This chapter took me forever to write! The story is winding down people, only two more chapters to go!

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Fifteen: The Discovery**

"Dude, I am going to punch you if you don't sit down." Finn ignored Puck behind the bar as he continued to pace maniacally around Shakey's, clutching his cell phone in his hands so tightly he thought it might break. Staring at the phone like it was withholding all the answers from him, he frowned at the inanimate object like it had offended him.

Why wasn't Rachel calling him back? It had been more than three whole weeks since her birthday and Sectionals, and he hadn't heard a word from her since. At first, he thought it was because of the move. She must have been too busy or too tired to call him back after moving into her new apartment. Then the holidays had come around and he was at least expecting a combination "Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah" text from her, but he didn't even get that much. Then New Year's passed, as did the final week of Winter Holidays, and Finn still hadn't heard a thing from her.

He was starting to get _anxious_.

What if she was mad at him for not wanting to move in with her? It's not that he didn't want to do it, it's just that he didn't want it to happen _right away_. They still had to work in the same school everyday and coach glee club side-by-side. Things were just starting to get normal again, and moving in with Rachel would throw off their new dynamic. He wanted to do things _right_ this time. In New York, they had rushed into a life together and ruined their chance for a happy life. That was the last thing he wanted to happen now. Deep down, he knew taking things slow was the right thing to do, but he didn't want to lose Rachel because of it.

He dialed her number for what felt like the fiftieth time over the past week. The familiar ringing filled his ear before the cell phone went to voicemail. "Hello, You've reached Rachel Berry, please leave a message. . ."

He hung up and almost threw his phone against the wall.

"Dude, sit the fuck down before I throw this mug at you." Glaring at Puck from his position across the bar, he dragged himself over to the stools and plopped himself in front of his best friend while Puck poured him a beer. He downed the bitter amber liquid in one huge gulp and pushed it back towards Puck for a refill. The bartender looked at his friend like he was a man possessed. "Bro, I haven't seen you this torn up in almost a decade, what the fuck happened between you two after you left that night? Did you two bang or something?" Finn's silence was all the answer Puck had needed, and he whistled low to himself while he refilled his friends beer. "I see."

"No man, you don't _see_. Everything was great again, for that one night. It felt so. . ._real_. Like we were young and in New York all over again, like no time had passed at all. And once again, I fucked it up." Bringing the mug to his lips again, he sighed heavily before taking another deep chug. "She wanted me to move in with her."

Puck slammed the mug he was cleaning onto the bar with a loud clang. "Holy _shit_, Hudson."

"I know," he mumbled into his beer.

"No man, I didn't mean it like 'WOW, Holy Shit.' I meant it like, 'What the fuck is _wrong_ with you' _Holy shit_." Puck was yelling at him now, and Puck hadn't raised his voice to Finn like that in _years_.

"Huh?" Finn was confused now, and Puck was looking at him angrily.

"How many chances do you honestly think you're going to get with this girl? You fucked it up the first time and now you're just going to let her slip through your fingers all over again?" Exasperated, Puck ran his hands over his mohawk in frustration. "I've had to watch you be miserable for the past ten years. TEN YEARS, bro. Fuck, you _never_ learn!"

Finn was starting to get angry now. What right did Puck have to preach to him? His relationship was Rachel was more than just a little complicated and Puck didn't even know the half of it."Screw you, asshole! I don't need this shit from my so-called best friend." He went to stand up but Puck clapped a hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit back down.

"Well, if you sit your ass down and _let_ me be your best friend and actually _listen_ to me, then maybe we could fix this."

"Fix what? She won't answer my calls. School starts back up on Monday and we haven't spoken in almost a month. And that was after sleeping together. What should I even say to her?"

"_Anything_. Whatever it takes!" This conversation sounded familiar, and Finn was suddenly reminded of a distant memory of his youth. Puck and him were rolling their wheelchairs down the hallway and fighting over Finn finding a job to support Quinn. The conversation held much more meaning now in hindsight, but still, Puck had always been the more determined of the two. "You always just _give up_, Hudson. When shit gets you down you just let it get to you without doing anything about it. It was the same in high school; when shit got tough, you just bitched and moaned and waited for someone to save your ass. When you couldn't find a job, Rachel had to help you get one. When she was working in New York, you just let it bother you without doing anything to fix the situation. Then you just left her in New York with nothing, and now you expect things to go your way? Grow the fuck up, Finn, and open your eyes. She won't wait for you forever."

He sat at the bar like a statue, soaking in Puck's words and contemplating his relationship with Rachel. He didn't want to admit it, but Puck was right. Finn was a leader, sure. He was captain of the football team and the glee club in high school. Now as an adult he was the director of said glee club and an educator. But when it came to his own life and his own problems, he was still a whiny bitch. Especially when it came to Rachel. He needed to be proactive. He needed to take control of his life instead of waiting for things to be perfect.

He looked up at his best friend with a tinge of awe in his gaze. Puck was really good at reading people and being brutally honest. A perfect combination for a best friend. "So should I just move in with her? Tell her flat out that I was wrong?"

"Who the fuck do I look like, Dear Abby? Figure it out yourself, Hudson, you're a grown-ass man." Some best friend he was, Finn thought to himself bitterly. But still, Puck's little speech lit a fire under Finn's ass that he couldn't ignore. He had to stop being idle and try and do something about this. On Monday, when he got back to school, he was going to fix things with Rachel and make things right.

He wasn't going to ruin his second chance with Rachel. This time, things were going to work out.

They_ had_ to.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Monday morning came after a long weekend of reflection and deep thought, two concepts that were still quite foreign in the world of Finn Hudson, even after all these years. But as he entered McKinley high school on that bright January morning, more determined than he had felt in ages, he knew what had to be done. He marched right up to the choir room where a few of his glee kids were scattered around, catching up with each other quickly before class. He greeted them all with bright hellos and high-fives while he looked around the room for Rachel. She wasn't there, but her office door was open, the light on and her briefcase on her desk. She was in school today. But where was she?

"Hey kids, have you seen Ms. Berry around?" Most of the kids shook their head, but Sam pointed towards the hall.

"She was here but she left the room pretty quickly before. I don't know, Mr. Hudson, she didn't look so good." Look good? What did _that_ mean? Was she sick? That could have been why she hadn't called him back. He should have called her father's house or something, and tried harder to get in touch with her. Now he had to find her, he had to know what was wrong with her. But there was something about Sam was just _off_. She looked really sad, and Andy was nowhere in sight, something that had caught his attention. They had been attached at the hip before the break and now Andy was MIA.

"Thanks, Sam. Is everything okay? Did you have a good vacation?"

She tried to look nonplussed while the other kids gushed about their vacations around them. "Eh. It was nothing to write home about."

As much as he wanted to talk to one of his favorite students about her obvious problems, he needed to find Rachel. "I'll see you in class, Sam. You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, Ms. Berry and I are always around." Frowning slightly at her nonchalant shrug, he exited the choir room with every intention to find Rachel. But as he walked through the hallways that only became more and more crowded, he couldn't spot her in the sea of students. When the warning bell had rung for first period and she was still nowhere to be found, he gave up, walking dejectedly to his office at the far end of the school.

Class begun as usual, his students piling into the class while he set up the demonstration for the day. When Andy entered the room without Sam, he started to get suspicious of his two favorite students. Andy looked just as miserable as Sam had looked this morning, and she was nowhere to be seen. Was she really going to cut his class when he had just spoken to her not even ten minutes ago? Something was _wrong_.

It was hard for Finn to focus on teaching when there was so much drama floating around him. All of the energy he had stored up this morning, waiting to talk to Rachel, was now bubbling up inside of him, waiting to burst out. He also just couldn't stand idly by while his two leads were having problems of their own. The class seemed to drag out forever, and by the time the bell had rung for second period, Finn was sure this day was going to last forever.

"Andy! Come here, I need to ask you something." Finn called over the heads of his students as they were leaving and Andy dragged himself up to the front of the room with a frown, head down.

"Um, did I do something wrong in class today, Mr. Hudson? I'm gonna be late for math."

"No worries, Andy. I'll write you a pass. Have a seat." Finn gestured to the closest desk and Andy sat down with a labored sigh. "Do you know why Sam skipped my class this morning?" The suspicion grew exponentially when Andy looked away from him and shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe she didn't come to school today."

"You and I both know that's not true. I saw her this morning in the choir room, not ten minutes before class started and she still skipped. Which leads me to believe that this has more to do with _you_." The guilt was etched into Andy's face and Finn could see that the kid was looking for some kind of outlet. "Andy, if there's something wrong, and you need someone to talk to, my door is always open."

Andy looked a bit like a trapped animal now, just aching to escape. But he stayed seated and kept staring at Finn with wide eyes. Finally, after a tense minute of them staring each other down, Andy let out a huge sigh and rubbed his face with his hands.

"I messed things up with Sam. She won't talk to me." Finn waited patiently for his student to continue. "She wanted me to meet her mom over the break and I kind of freaked out and blew her off. She hasn't answered any of my calls and I'm pretty sure she cut class so she wouldn't have to see me today."

"Andy, you realize that you have to make things right with her. You two are the leads of the club. We need your chemistry to work."

"But what should I do? I tried everything!" Looking down at his young student with sympathy, Finn knew exactly how Andy was feeling. He was going through a similar crisis of his own. But he had an idea for his young counterpart.

"What makes Sam so different from other girls? Why do you like her?"

The teenage boy shrugged. "Um, she likes video games and NASCAR. Her hair is really pretty when it's not covered by a hat. She doesn't do what people expect from her because it's normal. Her voice is, like, amazing and I get these crazy goosebumps when I sing with her. And sometimes I feel like she's the only one who really _gets_ me."

"Have you ever told her this before?" Andy shook his head slowly, lost in thought. "Maybe you should." Andy said nothing else while the bell for second period rang in the background. Writing out the late pass, he handed it to Andy who was now looking up at Finn like he was a God or something.

"Thanks Mr. Hudson. I'll see you at glee!" Andy practically ran out of the room and Finn had to pat himself on the back. He was more than happy to help his students with their problems.

If only he had someone to help him with _his problems_, he thought to himself as he wiped his chalkboard clean. He still hadn't seen Rachel and the more time that passed, the more he wanted to see her. In a flash of realization, it occurred to him to follow the advice he had given Andy. He had to go to Rachel and beg for her forgiveness if he had to, lay everything out on the line.

He wasn't going to let her go again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The day passed slowly. No matter how many times Finn tried to find Rachel in the school, she always managed to elude him. He was sure she would be around during her lunch period, but even then she was nowhere to be found. Where could she be hiding?

There was a short glee meeting after school today, where they would be going over the details for their next competition; _Regionals_. Now that Sectionals had passed, they had to now focus their attentions on winning that Regional title. His and Rachel's careers were riding on that title, and they had to work the team harder than ever so they could place.

When he entered the room, he saw Rachel right away, chatting with some students by the piano. When she spotted him she looked away quickly, as if she'd been caught doing something naughty. Panic blazed throughout his body like wildfire as he interpreted her mood and it suddenly felt very awkward to be around her. He had to find someway to fix this, this was no way to run a show choir!

"All right guys, lets get started!" Rachel's voice wasn't as chipper and bright as it usually was, and as he appraised his co-director from across the room, he could tell that she looked really tired. Maybe she _had_ been sick? Or maybe she was so pissed at him she was losing sleep over it.

The kids all sat in their seats and Finn could see San and Andy sitting next to each other, holding hands tightly. At least his bit of advice worked for sixteen year olds. Standing off to the side, he allowed Rachel to lead today's meeting, even if they weren't going to sing anything. He wanted more than anything for the meeting to be over so he could talk to Rachel, and he felt like a kid again as he stared at the clock, willing it to move faster. When three-thirty came around, he almost kicked the kids out of the room, he was in such a rush to talk to Rachel.

One by one the kids left the room for the day, Andy giving Finn a high five on his way out of the room while holding Sam around the waist. He smiled at the two students and almost missed Rachel trying to escape the room, unnoticed. Feeling angry, offended, and more than a little hurt, he grabbed Rachel by the wrist and pulled her back into the choir room, a little more forcefully than he should, causing her to trip over her feet a bit. When she regained her balance she refused to look in his face, something that made him angrier than ever.

"What, you can't even look at me? Wow, Rachel that's real mature." Staring up at him guiltily, she tried to speak but he cut her off, too upset to care. "Look, I know I messed up on your birthday, by not saying yes to moving in with you, but it's only because I wanted our second chance to be perfect. I just wanted to do everything right this time, you know? But that doesn't mean that I don't want to be with you. The truth is that I want it all! I want us to live together and get married and have kids. I just thought that I wanted us to go slow, but it's okay if you don't want to go slow!" Her face morphed into a mask of shock as he continued to babble a mile a minute. "I gave some advice to Andy today, and it worked for him, so I'm gonna follow my own advice and put it all out there. Rachel, I'm willing to do anything to show you how much I love you. I won't let anything get in the way of our happiness ever again, not If I can prevent it. I'm sorry for saying no, and if the offer still stands, I would be more than happy to move in with you."

Looking up at him with watery eyes, she looked more upset at his confession than he had expected. Not a word was said as she kept staring at him with those wide, soul-piercing eyes, making him feel like she was looking right through him. He was starting to get worried. "Rachel? Are you okay?"

She didn't nod, but she didn't shake her head either. She just continued to stare right through him, and a hand came up and rested on her stomach. "I'm pregnant."

The words left her lips so quickly, he almost had to ask her to repeat it. But as the words sunk in, a familiar panic rose within him. "What?"

"I'm _pregnant_, Finn. I've had morning sickness for the past few days and I've been super tired. I took the test today during my lunch period and it came up positive. I'm pregnant."

He started to feel dizzy, like everything around him was spinning uncontrollably and he couldn't stop, like a ride at a carnival that flipped you around until you puked. He felt like _he_ was gonna puke. "But how?" He had been down this road before; he knew that you couldn't get pregnant if you used a condom, and he was not going to be tricked into being a baby daddy again.

"My birthday. It was the only time I've had sex in a long time, Finn. It's yours."

"But we used protection!"

"There was only one condom in the trash, Finn. I'm pretty sure we had sex more than once."

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. They had been drunk that night, of course they'd had sex more than once! Pulling at his collar a bit, he realized it was kind of getting hard to breathe.

Rachel was pregnant. With his child.

Rachel was _pregnant_.

And it was _his_.

"Oh my God!" He screamed, and Rachel looked away guiltily.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner! I didn't want to call you and drop a bomb like that over the phone, and then I was afraid to tell you because I didn't want you to think I was using this to make you move in with me. . ." She started to panic and Finn gathered her up in his arms and kissed her full on the mouth to quiet her.

Her body went slack in his arms and she melted into his embrace, pulling at his clothes to keep her steady he wrapped his arms around her to support her weight. His mind was still moving a mile a minute as the reality sunk into his brain.

Rachel was pregnant with their child.

He was going to be a daddy.

For real this time!

"I love you Rachel." He whispered into her lips as they continued to kiss, lost in their own blissful world for the moment. She pulled away from the kiss, looking confused.

"So you're not mad?"

"What? Why would I be mad?"

"You said you wanted to do things right and now I'm pregnant and we don't even live together. We're not married either! I am carrying your bastard child!" She started to cry and Finn realized that he better get used to it. He knew what pregnancy hormones could be like and Rachel was already a dramatic person.

"Shh, Rachel." Cupping her face in his hands, he used his thumbs to wipe away the traces of tears on her cheeks. "I think I should have realized by now that not everything turns out right for us. But this? This is _perfect_. And I wouldn't want it any other way." They shared a glowing smile as they kissed once more, the excitement threatening to explode from Finn.

"So, what now?"

"Well I think I need to start packing tonight if I want to be moved in by this weekend. We have a lot of planning to do! We need to get you to a lady doctor!"

"A lady doctor?" She laughed with both her hands on her stomach. Finn placed his hands there too. Nothing was there yet, but he still liked the way it felt. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you've been through this all before." Quinn Fabray seemed like eons ago; a whole different life.

"Yup, but this time is like a bajillion times better."

"I would hope so." She narrowed her eyes in suspicion and he had to laugh.

"Of course it is. I'm not a brainless teenager anymore and I have a proper job and means to support a kid." He wrapped his arms around Rachel as she rested her head in his chest. "And I'm truly, crazy in love with the woman who is carrying my child." He kissed her on her forehead and paused briefly. "You're sure it's mine though?"

"Positive."

"Good, good."

They held each other like that for a while in the empty choir room, trying to be as close to the other as possible. While it seemed like things for Finn and Rachel would never work out exactly as planned, he couldn't help but feel lucky. This all felt, _right_, somehow. Sure, things weren't _perfect_, but they were pretty damn close.

"Come on, Finn. Let's go home. We have to start planning everything. We're gonna be a family!" Smiling brighter than he had ever seen, she pulled him out of the choir room and walked out of the school hand-in-hand. Sure they had a ton of planning to do, and his mind was racing a mile a minute, but he didn't care right now.

He and Rachel were going to have a baby. They were a _family_ now.

And he _really_ liked the sound of that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Only two chapters left!

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	16. The Plan

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Well kids, we're in the home stretch now! Many thanks to my muse, Nomesters, for helping me develop the ideas for this chapter. What would I do without her?

**The Dreamers****  
****  
****Chapter Sixteen: The Plan**

They walked out of the high school, hands entwined, Rachel holding onto Finn's hand in a death grip, not wanting to let go. She hadn't known what to expect when she told Finn about being pregnant, but his reaction had really thrown her off. She'd expected tears, anger, doubt; the same way he'd acted when he was a teenager with Quinn. Instead she was met with open arms, an accepting smile, and promises she wasn't sure he was ready to keep. Why did this all feel like it was happening so fast? Why was she somehow expecting the other shoe to drop and her world to crumble around her?

Because Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson had never had much luck in the past, especially when it came to their relationship. This all seemed too surreal, and she couldn't stop the nagging voice in her head that was telling her that this wouldn't last. That they were going to end up hating each other all over again, but this time with a child involved. Subconsciously, her free hand came to rest on her abdomen and she started to rub it in worried circles, even though there was barely anything there yet.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Finn's gentle voice pulled her out of her tumultuous thoughts and back into the parking lot where they were standing by their perspective cars. Nodding her head softly, she pulled out her keys and gave Finn a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Follow me to the new apartment okay? We can check things out there and talk some more." Smiling widely at her, he kissed her on the top of her head and helped her get into the car, just as chivalrous as ever. As he was walking over to his own car, a strong sense of unease spread throughout her. Before this whole baby thing, she would have jumped on the chance to move back in with Finn. Now she wasn't so sure anymore.

It was the baby. Having a baby was going to change their whole lives, and she wasn't sure she wanted that to happen. They were finally finding some sense of equilibrium with the other person, some sense of normalcy. How were things going to change for them now? Was it going to get better? Worse? Were they going to fight more? Her mind started to race out of control as she drove through the streets of Lima out to her apartment, in a complex not too far away from her father's house. She had signed the lease for the apartment before she had found out about being pregnant, so she was stuck here for a whole year before she could move out again. That was going to cause problems too, she could feel it.

The more she thought about this new arrangement, the more she started to panic about her relationship with Finn. What if he was only moving in with her through a sense of obligation? What were they going to do about school and the glee club? They weren't even married and they were expecting a child together. What's a girl supposed to do in that situation?

She pulled up to her apartment and saw Finn's car following her down the road. He got out and immediately went to help her get out of her car, like she was 9 months and ready to burst when she was barely five weeks.

"Finn, I'm not porcelain. I can get out of the car by myself." He frowned at her lightly, letting his brow crease in worry.

"Are you sure you're okay, Rachel? You look really upset."

"Let's just get inside, Finn. We need to talk." Uh-oh, she should not have said that. Finn looked like he wanted to run for the hills now. "We need to talk" was universal speak for "we're gonna scream at each other for the next hour." But Finn followed her into the apartment anyway and took a second to look around.

"What is this a one-bedroom? I take it the lease is a year? That means we have plenty of time to start saving up for a new place. We'll set up the crib in the bedroom with us for now, but we'll have to find a decent sized house for us all. I can get my job back at Burt's Auto shop for the summer and maybe talk Principal Ryan into letting me teach Driver's Ed again in the mornings for extra money. . ." Rachel watched as Finn slipped into his own little world, planning out the next year of their lives together like it was nothing. Like this all couldn't potentially ruin everything they were able to build back up again. She didn't know how bad the hormones were going to be in the first few months, but right now she felt like she was about to snap.

"Stop! Finn, just stop talking!" She was so overwhelmed she couldn't even think straight. How could Finn be so calm about all this? "This is all happening too fast, I can't even think right now about the next year." Looking at her with deep concern, he closed the short distance between the two of them and wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to just sink into his embrace and close herself away from the world. This was all too much. A few months ago, she would have killed for a family like Tina and Artie Abrams had. A loving marriage, beautiful children, a house to call their own. Now she had everything in her reach and it was almost too much to handle. What were you supposed to do when you suddenly had everything you'd ever wanted?

"Talk to me, Rachel. Are you having doubts about the baby?" He pulled her away from his embrace quickly, looking down at her with questions in his eyes. "You don't want to _get rid of it_, do you?" He whispered, as if saying the "a" word was a sin.

"No! I definitely do not want _that_, Finn." Sighing deeply, she didn't even know how to begin to explain. "Do you really want this?"

"Want what?"

"_This_, Finn." She waved her arms around the apartment. "This life. With me. I don't want you to think that you owe me anything, and I don't want a repeat of New York again. I just want. . ." She left it hanging for a second, too overwhelmed to finish. What did she want, really? "A _family_. A normal life. I want to be a family with you and the baby, but only if that's what you want." She spared a glance at Finn to gauge his reaction and he was staring at her with the most peculiar expression on his face. It was like a mix of shock and incredulity that she couldn't decipher.

"Rachel, don't you get it? That's all I've _ever_ wanted." Strong hands placed feather-light caresses on her face and neck as her heart pounded ferociously in her chest. "It's always been you. It will always be you. You are my past, my present, and my future. From now on, it's just Finn and Rachel against the world." Tears sprung to her eyes as their old motto slipped past his lips and she could tell already that these pregnancy hormones were gonna be _fun_.

"And the baby!" She added in with a watery smile, making his grin even wider.

"Of course, how could I forget? Finn, Rachel & _Baby_ against the world. That's the plan." She jumped back into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his broad body and falling more and more in love with him by the second. She never thought she could love Finn Hudson more even if she'd tried, and here he was proving her wrong.

He was gonna make a great daddy.

The second that thought popped into her head, her mind started to wander down a path she rarely ever thought about.

Was she gonna make a great mommy?

Wrapped in Finn's embrace, she started to think about her role in all of this. She was going to be a mother; in less than eight months she would have to take care of a living, breathing child. How was she supposed to be a good mother when she didn't have anyone to show her how to do it? She loved her two fathers, more than anything in the world, but they couldn't show her how to be a _mom_. They couldn't tell her what to expect over the next year, and she would rather be caught dead than try and get in contact with her birth mother, Shelby. That was a can of worms she did not want to open.

She needed help, and she knew who to call. Releasing herself from Finn's grip, she smiled at him and tossed him a bag full of fast-food menus. "Here, order us something for dinner, I have to make a phone call." Kissing him on the cheek she took her cell phone into her bedroom and dialed the one person who could really help her. The light, maternal voice picked up on the third ring.

"Rachel?"

"Hey Tina. . ."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So how's Finn?" Tina asked in-between bites of her salad at Breadstix while Rachel tried to keep her eyes focused on Tina and not her four month old son, Alex. She was failing miserably, and she couldn't help but coo and smile at the little boy who was enjoying his toys in the carriage. She knew that calling Tina had been a good idea.

"Finn is great, are you kidding? He moved into the apartment last week and ever since then he has been in a kind of baby-craze, I don't even know how to explain it!" The two women shared a laugh and Tina reached her hand across the table and placed it over Rachel's, squeezing lightly.

"I am so happy for you two. If anyone deserves to be happy it's you and Finn. You've been through so much and I'm glad to see it work out for you." Rachel squeezed back and thanked her lucky stars she had a friend like Tina to share this with. "But you said you wanted to talk to me about something, and since it's not Finn, I'm really curious as to what's up."

"Well, I'm pregnant."

Tina almost choked on her salad. "Oh my GOD! Rachel, that's amazing! Congratulations!" She stood up in the middle of the restaurant just to hug her friend. "So what's the problem?"

Rachel took a deep breath and voiced the fears she'd been holding in ever since she found out she was pregnant. "Well, Tina, as you know, I was raised by two gay men whom I love dearly." She paused to gather her thoughts. "But I can't ask them how to be a good mother. They can't tell me what to expect when I'm pregnant, or what's going to happen after the baby is born." Tina nodded along with Rachel as she continued. "I'm just afraid I'm going to be a terrible mother because I didn't have one of my own." She couldn't stave back the tears that were threatening to fall and she succumbed to them, feeling embarrassed over her crazy hormones and her inability to control them.

"Shh, Rachel, calm down." Tina had that motherly tone _down_, she would have to work on her own. "No woman knows what to expect when they're pregnant, it's a crazy, life-changing event. And no one is supposed to hold your hand and walk you through it, being pregnant is half the journey to becoming a mother. You learn how to take care of yourself so you can take care of something that's going to depend on you for the rest of your life. Finn will be there with you the whole way, I know it. If he could do it for Quinn Fabray when he was sixteen, imagine what he'll be able to do for you now." This brought a small smile to Rachel's face, and Tina continued uninterrupted. "And just because you didn't have a mother growing up, doesn't mean that you're going to fail miserably. That's not the Rachel Berry I know. Being a mother is tough, like a constant never-ending battle, and there is no right or wrong way to do anything. You just have to be strong and try to keep up with what life throws at you." Tina smiled at her old friend and Rachel couldn't resist nodding in agreement. Tina was right; Rachel Berry never gave up without a fight, and this seemed like the kind of battle she could face head on.

Before she could say anything else, little Alex started to fuss in his carriage. Like a professional, Tina knew exactly what was wrong, and she reached into her bag to set up a bottle of milk. "Rachel, can you pick him up for me while I get this ready?"

Rachel kind of froze in her skin a little bit, intimidated by the notion of lifting up the small, fragile child. But she figured she might as well practice, and she stood up, lifting the baby out of the carriage like it could shatter at any moment. The baby was fussing a little bit, but Rachel supported his head in her arms and balanced the weight evenly so the baby was sitting up and ready for the bottle. Rachel lost herself for a moment, staring at the baby in her arms, knowing that she would have a child of her own soon. It was amazing and exciting and scary all at the same time.

"Would you like to give him his bottle? As practice for the new mommy?" Rachel was sure Tina was out to make her cry again, but she just nodded and took the bottle from her friend, holding onto the baby and feeding him at the same time. She watched as the infant sucked away at his bottle, a fierce feeling spreading through Rachel at the moment. This all felt, _right_, somehow. Like it was meant to be.

"You know, I used to think that I was a total failure. At everything." The infant finished his bottle and she carefully placed baby Alex back in the carriage, Tina looking on with amused approval. "I couldn't make it in New York, I lost Finn, I wound up back in Ohio. It was like one failure after another. But you know what? It kind of worked out for me, in a weird way. I remember this one conversation I'd had with Shelby, back when I was 15 and so full of myself it hurt." Tina giggled a bit at the memory of her juvenile disposition. "I was so worried that I was going to end up like her one day, and in a way I did. It had always seemed like this personal hell I couldn't escape from, but now it doesn't seem so terrible. It's not that my dreams didn't come true, it's more like my dreams were reset." As the words left her mouth, she knew that it was the truth. She'd missed her chance in New York, but that didn't mean she couldn't have the life she wanted now. "I've come to terms with what happened in our pasts, and I'm ready to move on and start a new life with Finn and our child."

It took her years of trying to cope with her failures to come to this point. It wasn't easy, but it was the truth. Rachel Berry was never going to be a star, but she could still be a great mom.

"I couldn't be happier for you, Rachel. Honestly. Things might not have worked out for you in New York, but you and Finn got a second chance that few people ever get. You have to focus on your family now, and making sure you're bringing this child into a relationship that's full of trust and love." Rachel nodded and Tina smiled brightly. "Now, enough with the lecture! We have to get out of this restaurant and into the mall. We have some shopping to do!" Rachel laughed as they paid the bill and made their way throughout the mall, stopping in store after store and spending way too much money on maternity clothes she didn't even need yet. After that, they wandered around the mall, stopping in Victoria's Secret.

"Look Rachel, plaid and ribbons! I'm getting flashbacks to high school!" Tina pulled out a set of lingerie that was pink plaid with little ribbons serving as accents. Rachel hadn't worn clothes like that since she'd moved out of Ohio the first time, and she never went back. People in New York didn't wear pleated plaid skirts and sweaters with animals on them. Without a second thought, she pulled her size off the rack and bought it immediately. She wouldn't be able to wear it for much longer, but she was going to take advantage of it for now. She had a feeling Finn would like it.

"Tina, I can't tell you how much it meant to me that you came up to visit me for the day. Finn and I will come down as soon as Regionals is over in May and visit you and Artie and the kids."

"Rachel, I was more than happy to make the trip, believe me. And if you have any questions at all, _Mama_, you call me. Everything you're gonna go through, I've been through twice, so don't hesitate to call."

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon." Waving goodbye to her friend, she was glad she had someone to talk to about this stuff now. While she was getting more and more comfortable with the idea of being pregnant, she had a feeling she would be calling Tina a lot over the next few months.

Rachel Berry was nothing if not meticulous.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She walked into her apartment that afternoon with only one bag in her hands, already planning something special for Finn. He was in the living room, looking through a Babies R Us catalog and circling items he thought they would need to buy for the baby. He spotted her and immediately dropped the magazine to greet his. . . girlfriend? Baby Momma? She wasn't sure what she was considered, but he still kissed her senseless.

"Hey honey, how was Tina?"

"She's great, we had a wonderful lunch with her and baby Alex. We talked a lot, about things."

"Oh, what kind of things?"

"A bunch of stuff. You, being pregnant. She helped me work out a lot of my issues with being a mom."

"I told you that you had nothing to worry about. You are filled with so much love, Rachel. You're going to be an amazing mother." He kissed her again, deeper this time, pouring every ounce of love into the kiss. She reciprocated in earnest, reveling in the feeling of his love.

"We also did a bit of shopping, do you think you can get my other bags for me from the car?"

"Of course, Rachel. I'll be right back." He kissed her forehead and when she was sure he was outside, she ran into her bedroom with the Vicki's bag and pulled out the plaid lingerie. She heard him grumble about girls and shopping when he went back out to the car to get the second load of bags, and she stifled a laugh. When he came back inside, Rachel was in clad in her new lingerie, standing in front of the entrance wearing nothing but her bra, panties, and a wicked smirk on her face.

He dropped the bags on the floor with a thud, and she was pretty sure his jaw dropped too.

"I picked this up today for you." She said with a seductive smirk as he continued to stare. The past week had been so hectic with them trying to move in and rebuild a life together that they hadn't had the time to be intimate. That was going to change right now. "You used to love the way I dressed in high school, and I haven't worn plaid in a long time."

Finn said nothing as the bags of goods pooled around his feet. He stepped over them completely, without breaking eye contact, and stalked over to where Rachel was teasing him relentlessly. He picked her up into his arms in one fluid motion and carried her to the bedroom without another word.

She would have to remember that he had a thing for plaid.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Only one chapter left, then the epilogue!

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	17. The Beginning

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy :)

A/N: The Final Chapter! The epilogue should be up by next week, but this is it for our favorite couple. Thanks for all your support!  
**  
****The Dreamers****  
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****Chapter Seventeen: The Beginning**

It was more than a bit stifling in the empty garage as the unseasonably warm May breeze blew through the open windows of the classroom while Finn worked on his car during his free period. There was nothing really wrong with it, he was just checking it to make sure it was still in mint condition. He wouldn't be able to sell it for much if it wasn't running perfectly, even if the exterior looked flawless. He'd loved his Firebird, for while it was the only thing that had kept him from going insane during those long lonely years apart from Rachel. He'd used the car as a distraction, as the one thing he could look forward to in a lonely life that had done nothing but disappoint him. But now he had no need for such distractions anymore. With the baby on the way, he was going to sell it for a profit and try and put some money away for a down payment on a new house. He had a family to support now, and the Firebird was a necessary sacrifice.

He wiped the sweat away from his brow, probably dragging a ton of grease across his face but he didn't care. He had to get the car looking perfect for next week; there was a car show down in Dayton and he was planning on bringing the car there to sell it to someone who would truly appreciate the work he'd put in it. Wiping his hands on the coveralls he wore during his classes, he heard the bell ringing in the halls, signifying the end of the school day. Quickly he checked the fluids of the car and closed the hood with a loud thud, only to be greeted by Rachel, who had been standing there waiting for him to notice her.

"Rachel!" He was embarrassed to admit that the tiny woman had spooked him. "Shouldn't you be in the auditorium? The kids are waiting for us."

Shooting him the kind of smirk she should not be flashing around in a school, she walked towards him slowly, taking in his appearance and appraising the Firebird. "Yeah, they can wait an extra minute." Ignoring the grease and dirt that was practically covering every inch of him, she leaned up onto the pads of her feet and placed a soul-searing kiss on his lips. A hand came up to stroke her cheek and when she pulled away, a smudge of grease was on the hollow of her cheekbone. She made no move to wipe it off.

The past few months had been interesting, to say the least. No one knew about their living arrangements yet, which they figured was for the better in a town like Lima where they ate gossip like that for breakfast. They were also keeping Rachel's pregnancy under wraps for the time being as well. She was already showing at five months, and she wore plenty of loose clothing to hide her ever-growing baby bump. They figured that the baby would be born before school started back up in September, so they could get away with not having to tell anyone until Rachel had to take her maternity leave. That way they didn't have to worry about their students flipping out and spreading rumors about them throughout the school again. If only they just had the money to get married. That's pretty much what the hiding was all about. Sure, it was the 21st century, but a town like Lima, Ohio still looked down at the unwed parents of bastard children, and they didn't want that kind of stigma over their heads as teachers in the high school. They were still working out the logistics of it all, but nothing was set in stone.

Marriage aside, living with Rachel now was so much more fulfilling than their time together in New York had been, and he couldn't remember when he'd been this happy. It felt like his Rachel was truly back; the light in her eyes had returned and sometimes it felt like they had reverted back into teenagers again. Weekends were spent in the lazy bliss of each other's arms, and the weekdays were all about the glee club. Sure, he had to deal with the hormones and the impromptu screaming and crying, but in a weird way it was all worth it. He woke up every morning with their limbs entwined, his hand resting softly on her stomach, knowing he was holding his family in his arms. It was a dynamic he could get used to.

And it only took him a decade to get his Rachel back. Good things came to those who wait.

Sometimes he wanted to pinch himself; he was pretty sure he'd never been this happy. He had the woman he loved back in his life and she was carrying their child. He had an amazing job that brought him a certain satisfaction he had never felt before. He was going to have a family.

He was going to be a father.

Sure, it wasn't the first time he thought he was going to be a dad. But when you're sixteen no one expects to have that kind of responsibility, and even at the age of thirty it was still daunting. With Rachel at his side, though, he knew he would be able to handle anything. They made a great team.

"So should we get going?" Her hand came to rest idly on her stomach and he thought to himself that it would only get harder and harder to hide her condition for the rest of the school year. But so far, no one had noticed a thing, so the charade continued.

"Hold on, you got a little grease, right there." He grabbed his clean towel and rubbed it across the hollow of her cheekbone, removing the smudge of grease from her flawless skin. Their eyes met and he almost lost himself in the chocolate depths of his lover; the one woman who had held onto his heart like a vice for almost fourteen years and had never let go. If he didn't break eye contact now, he never would, so he begrudgingly wiped down his own hands and grabbed his things so they could head off to rehearsal. Regionals was this Saturday, and they were working in the auditorium now to work on the final blocking and run-throughs of their set-list. Entering the large space, their kids were already on stage, goofing around and chatting while their teachers took their time to arrive. They got to work immediately, Finn sitting in the audience to observe the look of the stage layout while Rachel was on stage with the kids making sure they were in position.

"Alright where are my leads? Sam? Andy?" The two kids ran to center-stage from behind the stage-right curtains looking a bit _flushed_. They smiled shakily at Rachel while they got into position.

"Sorry Ms. Berry," escaped their lips in unison and Finn could _so_ tell that they'd been making out. Rachel just shrugged at their apology and continued, too absorbed in making sure they knew the choreography and cues for Saturday.

"Sam will exit stage left and come out to the middle of the stage for her solo." She mimed the action with Sam at her side, taking each step with deliberate pauses so she could step to the pace of the music. "While Andy waits at stage-right for the four beat rest that will be his cue." Finn watched from the audience as she worked out the blocking with the leads, proud that she was able to choreograph the number down to the smallest detail. What would he do without her?

"When the team comes in we will have girls coming out from stage right and boys from stage left. You will meet in the center of the stage and find your partners, meeting them center stage and getting into your positions for the bridge." Walking across the stage to mime the choreography for the rest of the team, Finn thought the stage layout looked beautiful. Complete symmetry, clean lines, he knew this number was going to look fabulous. He went to mark down some of the cues she planned out in his book when she continued from the stage.

"Great guys, just awesome. Now Andy, I want to see you-" Rachel didn't continue her sentence and Finn looked up just in time to see Rachel slip on the stage and fall, her arms out in front of her to brace her as she tried to turn her body around and fall on anything that wasn't her stomach.

He was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating altogether.

"Rachel!" He screamed from the audience while she landed on her right knee, her arms bracing her upper body while she shifted her weight from her knees to her butt. Some of the kids started to crowd around her and he thought he was seeing red. The only thing on his mind was Rachel and his child and he didn't care that no one knew she was pregnant, he had to make sure Rachel and the baby were okay.

He leaped out of his chair in the audience without hesitation and ran down the aisle, screaming Rachel's name like a psycho killer was chasing after him. His blood felt like needles in his veins as the panic set in, threatening to consume him whole. When he approached the stage to see a swarm of glee kids surrounding her, he couldn't stop the roar that escaped his lips.

"_Everybody step back_!" He yelled it so loud, and so forcefully, that the kids pretty much fled in fear. No one had ever heard him yell like that, and he ignored their looks of shock while he ran over to Rachel on the floor, tears in her eyes. "Andy!" He roared.

"Y-yes sir?" The tremor in Andy's voice didn't register to him, but he was very aware of how his own voice was shaking uncontrollably. His eyes never left Rachel's frame as he dictated his command.

"Go get the nurse. _Run_." He didn't hear a response, only the sounds of Andy running out of the auditorium as his focus turned solely to the woman in his arms and the baby she was carrying. "Rachel, are you okay?"

She started to sob which made him infinitely more anxious as she started to hold onto her stomach with both hands. "My knee."

"OK, we're gonna fix up your knee, but is the baby okay?" The shocked gasps of eleven teenagers filled the auditorium and Rachel looked up at him with wide eyes, surprised that Finn had let the cat out of the bag.

"Finn, I'm fine. . . the baby is fine. . ."

"Are you sure?" His hand came to rest on her stomach and her hand covered his, squeezing tightly.

"Yeah, I landed on my knee and my butt, I'm okay. My knee hurts though." He watched as her eyes passed over the stunned faces of their students. In an instant he realized exactly what he'd done and when he turned to face them all, their expressions ranged from shock, to surprise, to full out glee.

The explosion commenced.

"You're pregnant Ms. Berry?"

"Is It Mr. Hudson's?"

"Are you two getting married?"

"Can I babysit?"

The questions escaped their lips at a break-neck pace as Finn and Rachel tried to figure out how to do the most damage control. They could almost picture the fiasco that was bound to take place in school the next day, and they had to figure out something fast in order to keep this under wraps.

"Alright, everyone off the stage and sit in the audience until the nurse gets here." Finn was still shaking from the adrenaline in his system and it was still hard to control his voice, so the kids obliged, afraid to face the wrath of Mr. Hudson. They all left the stage whispering things to one another and Finn bent his head down close to Rachel so they could talk without being heard.

"This is a nightmare." Rachel groaned and Finn was still scared that it was a groan of pain and not of dread.

"Are you sure the baby is okay?"

"Yeah, Finn. I'm sure, but what are we going to tell everyone?" Rachel started to babble on in the way that only Rachel could, citing different scenarios and circumstances while Finn's mind moved at a snail's pace. He could only think of one thing that would make this all go away, but he wasn't sure how they were going to pull it off. Rachel continued her ranting at a break-neck pace. "I don't see this just going away and you know our kids have trout-mouths that would rival me in high school! Ooh, you know what we should do?"

"Elope?"

"What?" He knew he'd caught her off-guard, but he continued anyway.

"Saturday. After Regionals. We'll go to town hall and get married. Problem solved."

She didn't answer him, she just stared at him with her mouth wide open, shaking her head back and forth in disbelief. The nurse entered the auditorium with a wheelchair, and Finn helped get Rachel off the ground and into the chair so the nurse could examine her. He whispered Rachel's condition in the nurse's ear, and she wheeled Rachel out of the auditorium and into the hallway without another word. He turned to his students in the audience and hopped off the stage, walking up to them so they were at equal levels.

"Is Ms. B gonna be alright?" Mitchell called from the back row of kids while they all looked up at him in worry. He shrugged his shoulders and spoke to them honestly.

"I'm sure she'll be fine but the nurse is going to check her over. I need to talk to you guys about this, though, it's important." Twelve pairs of eyes looked up at him with undivided attention as he figured out a way to try and keep these teenagers from gossiping about them. "So, you all know now. About Ms. Berry and I. We're going to have a baby together, but no one else knows, not even Principal Ryan, and we would like to keep it that way."

"Why?" He did a double take when all twelve students spoke in unison.

"Remember what happened last time? I was asked to step down after a silly kiss, imagine how parents and faculty would react if they knew about this! Which I why we need you guys to keep this a secret for us. Only until Saturday. If you can keep this under wraps until after Regionals, Ms. Berry and I would be really grateful."

Finn was met with silence as the kids stared up at him like they'd asked him to do a month's worth of homework in a day. He knew this had been a bad idea to even ask, but he had to try. Losing hope, he was about to dismiss them all, when Andy stood up in the front row.

"Don't worry Mr. Hudson. We've all worked too hard this year to throw it all away over gossip again. Your secret's safe with us."

"Yeah! I'm keeping my mouth shut this time!" Mitchell called from the back. A chorus of "Me too's!" filled the auditorium and he was sincerely hoping he could trust his kids. But right now he had more important things to tend to. "OK. I'm cutting rehearsal short today but I want you guys in tomorrow morning early so we can make up for lost time. Have a good afternoon guys." Some of the kids groaned at the prospect of coming in early, but Finn couldn't care less. He gathered his things and fled the auditorium as fast as he could to catch up to Rachel and make sure his soon-to-be-wife and their baby were alright.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The rest of the week passed by agonizingly slow, in Finn's opinion. Rachel had bumped her knee, hard, but there was no permanent damage to the joint, or to their baby. Just to be safe, Finn had taken Rachel to the OB/GYN for a check up, where she had learned the baby's sex. She wouldn't tell him what it was though. He had once said he'd wanted it to be a surprise and now she was torturing him with the information. He was kicking himself for saying it ever since.

Every school day for the rest of the week was spent on pins and needles, afraid that at any second, his glee kids would let it slip that Rachel was pregnant and they would be shooed off to the Principals office. But as each day passed, he grew more and more confidant that his kids were actually able to keep their mouths shut in regards to their glee advisors. For that, he would be eternally grateful.

Now he just had to figure out what to do about Saturday. Not only did he have to worry about Regionals, but he had to figure out how he and Rachel were going to pull of their plan. They went to town hall to get their marriage license at the beginning of the week, now they just needed a witness.

Which is how he wound up at Shakey's bar the night before the Regional Show Choir Championship.

It was the typical Friday night crowd; the smell of liquor and beer permeated every inch of the crowded bar as he made his way through the staggering bodies. It wasn't late yet, but the regulars stood out amongst the throng of younger kids and groups of friends who were out for the night. He spotted the mohawk of his best friend, and soon to be best man, as he approached the bar.

"Puck!" He screamed over the heads of the other patrons as he tried to get his friend's attention. The bar was much busier than normal because all the college kids were home for the summer, so Finn watched with an amused grin as Puck gave orders to a new female bartender as he made his way over to Finn. From the look on Puck's face, he could tell that his oldest friend was already quite _smitten_ with her.

"Hey man, what's good? I haven't seen you a while, does Rachel have you whipped all over again?"

"You could say that." He said with a smile. "Do you have a second? I need to ask you something." He nodded his head towards Puck's back office and they made their way through the crowded bar.

"So what's up, bro? Need me to help you pick out the curtains?"

"Nah, it's too late for that, man, we already live together."

He wished he had brought a camera to document this, Puck's reaction was exactly what he'd expected.

"WHAT?" He roared from the back room, and the new bartender poked her head in the office, a worried look on her face.

"You okay boss?" The overwhelmed expression melted into one of Puck's trademark smirks as he flashed his new bartender a salacious grin.

"Of course, Valerie. You call me if you need me out there, sugar." Winking at her like the sex shark he was, Finn could see the blush spread over her face as she ducked out of the office.

"You better watch out before you have a sexual harassment case on your hands."

"What are you taking about, she _totally_ wants me."

"Anyway," he said with a roll of his eyes, "that's kind of why I'm here. I wanted to know what you were doing tomorrow evening, around six?"

"I'll probably be here, for happy hour."

"Do you think you can ask Valerie to cover for you?"

"Why?"

"I need you to be at town hall tomorrow, at six, in a suit."

"Hudson, what the fuck is going on here?"

"We're getting married tomorrow Puck, I need you to be our witness." He took a deep breath and almost didn't tell him the most important part. "Rachel is pregnant. We're gonna elope."

Finn waited for a reaction from Puck and he started to get worried when the seconds ticked by and his face still held the same impassive expression. All of a sudden, a slow smile crept onto his face and he threw both fists in the air in triumph. "_OH SNAP_!" He pushed Finn playfully, and tried to get his tall friend into a headlock. Finn obliged him. "Holy hell Hudson, you just couldn't wait, could you?" He gave Finn the hardest noogie he'd felt in years as Puck pulled him out of the back office and into the bar. Puck let go of his neck and stood up on the bar, making himself the center of attention while every head in the establishment looked up at him.

"Attention drunks of Lima, Ohio!" Puck had cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed at the patrons of his own bar. "Tomorrow Shakey's will be closed! If you want to get drunk, go somewhere else!" Most of the patrons weren't happy with that bit of news but Puck didn't look like he cared one bit.

"Dude, you didn't have to close the bar, Valerie could have kept it open."

"Well who would have been my date? And we have to have a place to party afterwards!"

For a horny Casanova, Puck sure was a great friend.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Finn was pacing, he knew he was. Standing backstage, minutes before his kids were going to find out if they'd won Regionals, was turning him into an anxious wreck. He was sure to find more gray hairs on his head after today, he was sure of it. He probably would have gone off the deep end if it wasn't for his soon-to-be-wife at his side, looking at him with amusement and rubbing her belly softly.

"You need to calm down, Finn."

"How can you expect me to be calm when all our hard work for the past year is just waiting to be judged?"

She shrugged her shoulders and shot him her most beautiful smile, the corners of her lips pulling up to slowly reveal her perfect set of straight white teeth. He was hoping their child had her teeth. "I have a good feeling about this, and you should too."  
He just looked at her, in awe of how calm she was and how beautiful she looked at that one moment.

"I love you." The words slipped past him lips in front of the kids, but no one seemed to care. Her response was another breathtaking smile.

"I love you, too."

"We love you too!" Some of the kids all yelled and Finn had to smile at his students. The kids had been amazing; he knew it, Rachel knew it, he was just hoping the judges knew it too. He could hear the announcer call the team onto the stage and he took Rachel's hand, feeling more nervous than the kids. Was this what a heart attack felt like? He could almost feel his hair going gray.

When they had been announced the Runner's Up, therefore placing second, Finn felt his heart start back up in his chest as Rachel flew into his arms for a giant hug. He could hear the kids all screaming around them as Sam and Andy went to collect the trophy for the team. Sure, it wasn't a championship win, but it was a start, and now that they knew they would have jobs next year, they had the perfect jump-off point.

Now that he could check Regionals off his list of things to do that Saturday, he could go ahead and get married.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So you're sure about this, right?" He looked over at his bride-to-be, standing in town hall in a simple white baby-doll dress with a worried look in her eyes as she absentmindedly rubbed her protruding belly. Her distracted expression confused him as he waited for the Town Hall Clerk to come back and officiate their marriage. Puck and his "date" Valerie were off to the side, looking on with amusement as the minutes ticked by in the cool government building.

"What do you mean, Rach?" She wasn't having second thought's was she? Cold feet? Maybe she should have worn socks. . .

"I mean, this is our second chance, right? And we wanted it to be perfect and we went about it all backwards. We moved in before we were even a real couple, I got pregnant before we were even married. What if this is an omen? What if nothing is ever going to be perfect for us? What if we bring our baby girl into this world and we mess it up for her completely because we can never get anything right?" Rachel was so distracted with her own internal conflicts she didn't even realize that she had let slip the one piece of information that Finn wanted to know the most.

Baby girl. . .Rachel was carrying a girl. . .

He cut off her nervous rant with a kiss that filled him with more love and joy than he had ever felt in his tumultuous life. His and Rachel's relationship would never be the picture of perfection, but he had never wanted anything more than her. Her and their little girl.

If that wasn't perfection, he didn't know what was.

"Alright you two, you aren't married yet! Quit sucking face!" Puck called out from across the small room and Finn couldn't help but smile at the gorgeous blush that highlighted Rachel's olive skin. She was so beautiful, and he hoped their daughter looked exactly like her. Taking her by the hand, they waited patiently for the government official to come and make their marriage legal. Puck was sitting in the back with his date, cat-calling them at the most inappropriate times, but it was worth the smile on Rachel's face when she said "I do." It wasn't the kind of fancy ceremony he was sure she had once dreamed of, but they had learned their lesson in placing too much emphasis on dreams; reality was so much better. This was enough for them, and that was all that mattered. It might have taken over ten years to get to this point, but they were ready to start their new lives together as a family.

The beginning of the rest of their lives started today.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Epilogue up sometime next week!

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	18. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: Alright kids! Welcome to the epilogue for Dreamers! I hope everyone enjoyed the story, and thank you for all your support this summer. Enjoy the finale.  
**  
The Dreamers**

**Epilogue**

The cool October wind blew softly in the small bedroom, creating a chill in the air that started to lift Rachel out of her deep slumber as she pulled a pillow over her eyes to block out the light. An annoyed groan escaped her lips as she turned over to get comfortable again before a shrill scream filled the tiny room. A louder groan escaped her lips this time, before the shrill cry stopped immediately. Cracking open one eye in the brightness of the room, she saw her husband attending to the source of the screaming.

Her eight week old daughter, Aria.

"Shhh, Aria Naomi Hudson, you don't want to wake up Mommy, she was up all night feeding you, you little stinker." She had to smile to herself when Finn started to coo softly, giving the baby a bottle she had prepared the night before. The only thing she wanted to do was sleep all day long, but Finn wouldn't be around for much longer and the baby was already up, so she begrudgingly wiped the sleep out of her eyes and started to stretch languidly on the bed. Finn spotted her movements under the blankets and sat on the corner of the bed with the baby in his arms. She sat up and crawled to the edge of the bed, placing a soft kiss on the child's head and a more passionate one on the lips of her husband.

"How's my girl today?" She whispered to her daughter while she enjoyed her breakfast and took the tiny baby from Finn so he could get ready for work. She was out on Maternity leave until the Winter Holidays, so she was playing housewife while Finn coached the glee club solo. It was hard to see him run the group without her, but she would be back eventually, and the coaching duo of Mr. and Mrs. Hudson would be back in action. Carole and her dads were already begging to babysit their granddaughter, and Rachel was itching to get back to work.

But for now, she could get used to the whole "housewife" thing. Aria took up all of her time, really, and she was enjoying the bits of free time she had for herself that were spread throughout the day. She still helped Finn transpose music and they went over song choices and choreography together, but she missed the hands-on aspect of coaching. She missed her kids and the dynamic of working side-by-side with Finn. But her daughter was worth every second away from glee club. Her eyes never left the tiny face as Finn got ready haphazardly around her.

"Rach, have you seen my keys?"

"Next to the TV." She said without looking up.

"Where's my bag?"

"In the hall closet."

Finn came into the bedroom again after a few minutes, his keys in his hands and his bag over his shoulder. "What would I do without you?"

She shrugged playfully and lifted the baby to her shoulder to burp her. "I wonder the same things myself sometimes." She said with an amused, yet detached voice and Finn pulled his two girls close to him and placed a kiss on each of their foreheads.

"I will see you ladies later tonight." He reached for his daughter and Rachel placed her in his arms. "You be a good girl for Mommy, Ari."

Rachel fixed him a dirty look. "Its _Aria_. We had a deal, I chose the first name and you got the middle one."

"Yes, and I'm sure great-granny Naomi is ecstatic about her middle name, but that doesn't mean she can't have a nickname. Ari is cute."

"And so is _Finny_, but you don't see me screaming it from the roof of the school."

"You better not, _Rach_. You never had a problem with me calling you that."

She winced, knowing he'd caught her double standard. "That was different."

"Oh yeah, how?"

She shrugged her shoulders, knowing that her argument was now moot. "It just was."

"Uh-huh." He said with a smile, turning back to his daughter. "You have fun with Mommy today, _Ari_, and I'll see you tonight." Rachel stuck her tongue out at him while she took back the baby, and Finn reached over to place a wet, sloppy kiss on her lips, making her giggle while she bounced the baby in her arms.

"Bye, Daddy." Rachel picked up one of Aria's tiny hands to wave at Finn while he left the house. He shot her a wink and her favorite crooked smile and she wondered idly how one look could make her legs turn into jelly when she was supposed to be a mature, rational, parental, adult.

She carried the baby to her bassinet while she started to do some random chores around the house. Putting on her favorite compilation of Broadway's greatest hits, she sang around the house while she did some light cleaning. The apartment wasn't large, but she was happy with the layout and the way they had decorated it. Finn had gotten his entire collection of her old playbills framed, and they now adorned the walls of the living room and the kitchen, creating a beautiful collage of all her past work. She might not be a Broadway star, but now she was the star of the family, and to her it was enough. She might never perform again in her life, but she was truly, genuinely happy; something she had never felt during her time in New York. And she owed it all to Finn and their daughter, for bringing her happiness in a world where it felt like part of your soul died with every year that passed.

Sometimes she still thought about it; performing and being a star. She still watched the Tony's every year, even though it was almost like a form of torture. This year she was about seven months pregnant when the Tony's had aired, and Finn almost banned her from watching it ever again after all the crying she'd done. But it was cathartic in a way. She'd missed that life, and the opportunities she could have had, but in a weird way it felt like everything had turned out perfectly. Sure, it would have been fabulous to have been a great Broadway star, adored by millions, but then she wouldn't have Finn. She wouldn't have Aria.

And that was a life she didn't even want to imagine. She would rather be _their_ star than be "loved" by a million faceless fans.

The day passed by slowly and by noon, Rachel was bored beyond belief. She decided to take a little trip with her daughter, and she gathered her baby bag and placed Aria in the car-seat. Weaving throughout the streets of Lima, she made her way over to the high school so she could surprise not only Finn, but her students who she'd missed like crazy. She prepped the stroller and rolled the baby onto school grounds, pausing to talk to faculty members who recognized her and spent way too long making dumb faces at her kid. When the math teacher started blowing raspberries everywhere, she almost ran straight to the choir room to escape them.

She poked her head into the choir room, where Finn and the kids were practicing during their lunch period. She took a second to appraise them from the hallway, and she was more than happy to see how much they'd progressed since last spring. She wished that she could be a part of it, but Finn was doing fine on his own. After another minute she quietly wheeled the stroller into the choir room and was spotted immediately by the kids. She shared a sneaky smile with Finn from across the room while the kids rushed to greet her.

"Mrs. Hudson!"

"You brought the baby!"

"She is _so_ cute!"

"Can I hold her?"

"No!" Both Finn and Rachel replied firmly to the question and the kids all gathered around to gawk at the tiny infant who was sleeping and thus oblivious to the ruckus surrounding her. Finn came over and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead while the kids continued to make goo-goo noises at the baby.

"This is a surprise! What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing, I was just bored and I wanted something to do. I thought the kids might want to see the baby that they've been obsessed with since last year, and I missed everyone."

"Well I'm glad you came." He turned to the kids. "Alright guys, why don't we show Mrs. Hudson what we've been working on?"

"Yeah!" The kids all got into position while Rachel sat down by the piano and watched the kids run through their latest number. She was more than a little impressed and clapped like a fool when they were finished. They were going to win regionals this year, she could feel it.

The bell was about to ring, ending their lunch period, and Finn had to teach so she knew she had to get going. Waving goodbye to her students, she couldn't wait to get back to work in the spring. But Aria came first and she brought the baby back home to the safety of their little apartment.

She was exhausted after she had fed the baby and put her down for another nap. It was already the late afternoon, and Finn would be home soon, but she couldn't help it. She collapsed onto her bed and started to doze off lightly, succumbing to the fatigue that had been fogging her thoughts all day. Before she fell into her light nap, she thought about Finn, and Aria, and their family, and how sometimes your dreams really did come true.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The small cramped car weaved it's way through traffic on the I-80, merging onto the I-95 and Rachel woke from her light nap to see a road sign that indicated they were barely 50 miles away from their destination.

New York was so close she could taste it.

Finn was still driving, and she maneuvered herself around so she could sneak a peek at him through her periphery. He looked like he was concentrating very hard at something, and it wasn't until a black sedan cut them off suddenly when she realized why he looked so tense.

The closer they got to New York, the crazier the drivers were.

Finn beeped his horn at the speeding black sedan, swearing loudly and hitting his fist on the steering wheel. She placed a soothing hand on his shoulder and she saw him look at her from his peripheral vision, eyes still focused on the road.

"Hey babe, how was your nap?"

"It was okay. I'm still tired though. And I think those mosquitoes made a feast out of me." While sleeping under the stars had _sounded_ like a romantic idea, they had woken up that morning covered in bug bites, even though they had soaked the perimeter in bug spray. And they hadn't gotten much sleep out of it anyway, because making love all night long under the stars sounded much more romantic than sleeping. She idly scratched a bite on her leg and made a mental note to stop by a pharmacy for some itch cream. Finn's light chuckle filled the car and she joined him. "How much longer do you think we have until we get to New York?"

"Maybe another hour and a half. We're in Jersey right now, and this traffic is terrible. Am I going to have to get used to this?"

"We both will, silly! We're starting a new life! Finn and Rachel against the world, remember?"

A smirk pulled up the corner of his lips and she could hear the amusement in his tone. "How could I forget?"

They sat in traffic for a long time, much longer than the projected hour and a half. They crept through traffic slowly, even though the signs for bridges and tunnels and tolls were becoming more and more frequent. After a while, Rachel leaned forward and started searching through radio stations, trying to find something to fill up the silence besides honking horns and screeching tires.

"This is 101.9 WRXP, New York's Rock Alternative and here's a little rock ballad to get you through traffic. . ." The announcer's voice filled the car and Rachel sat back, knowing that Finn would probably like anything they played on this station. She was more offended that New York, capital of the musical theater community, didn't have a station dedicated solely to show-tunes. But when the opening chords of a very familiar song started to pump through the speakers, she was pleasantly surprised.

"_Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere. . ._ " She closed her eyes and let Steve Perry's voice wash over her, filling her with nostalgia and memories of high school. By the second verse, she was lost in her own little universe, and she felt Finn poking her on her arm. Turning to him, she was surprised to find him giving her a confused look.

"What is it?"

"Are you okay?" She heard worry in his tone and she straightened herself out, shrugging her shoulders and smiling lightly.

"Yeah, I'm great. Why?"

"Because you're not singing." He made it sound like a grave offense and she needed further elaboration as to why he was so confused.

"Huh?"

"Rachel. This is _Don't Stop Believin'_. This is, like, _our song_. Why aren't you singing?"

She had to stifle a laugh. He was looking at her like she was a crazy person, or a Rachel-impostor, simply because she wasn't singing along with the music. She shook her head and tried to explain.

"Well, Finn, this song has been a part of our repertoire since the very beginning. We've heard it numerous times and I can't even remember how many times we've rehearsed it and performed it. But when was the last time you really just sat back and listened to the words? It's not even a song to us anymore, it's more like an anthem now."

"An anthem, huh?" She felt her boyfriend's eyes sweeping over her as she awkwardly scratched her itchy bug bites. "I like the sound of that." His lips stretched out into a smile that made it impossible to resist smiling herself, and the music of Journey filled up the car again while the traffic started to loosen up. They continued driving east toward the city, and before the chorus hit, they could see the New York skyline in the distance, filling Rachel with a deep sense of accomplishment.

They were here. _They made it_. All of their dreams were coming true. And as they continued driving, towards their future, towards their dreams, their anthem was playing in the background, willing them to keep going, making sure they never looked back.

As long as they had their dreams, they would never stop believing.

**The End**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

The Saga is over! I hope you all enjoyed Dreamers! Thank you all for your support in this story. And a special shout-out to blues_stilllife and nomesters for all your support and love! Hope you liked the baby's name!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


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